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The  "Parson's"  first  deer  hunt. 


Page  78. 


THE 

fii,j  l®i  iii  iiiili; 

OR, 

NINE  MONTHS  IN  CALIFORNIA. 

BY 

BEY.  ISAAC  MAST,  A.  M. 


PHILADELPHIA: 
Methodist  Episcopai,  Book  and  Publishinq  House, 

lOlS     AU-CfT     STTREET. 

Rev.  J.  B.  McCullough,  Agent. 

1875- 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1875, 

By  Rev.  J.  B.  McCullough,  Agent, 
In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


PREFACE. 


^  I  ^HE  following  pages  are  almost  wholly 
the  record  of  personal  experience.  De- 
scending to  a  detail  that  would  be  trivial 
to  the  majority  of  adult  readers,  they  are 
suited  mainly  to  youth.  There  are  no  battles 
fought,  no  discoveries  made,  no  mines  de- 
veloped. The  great  busy  world  has  no  time 
for  small  matters.  And  yet  there  are  subjects 
referred  to,  in  which  some  persons  of  more 
advanced  years  are  interested. 

Two  objects  are  aimed  at,  viz:  To  furnish 
instructive  entertainment  for  our  young  peo- 
ple, who  are  always  reading;  and  to  encour- 
age some  desponding  invalid  not  to  give  up 
the  struggle. 

3 


4  PREFACE. 

In  the  work  of  a  regular  itinerant  minister, 
in  December,  1871,  the  author  was  suddenl\- 
stricken  down  with  typhoid  pneumonia,  and 
left  vocally  disabled.  Having  slowh'  recov- 
ered during  the  following  year,  in  December, 
1872,  he  sailed  for  California.  There  he  lived 
and  hunted  in  the  mountains,  rode  over  the 
plains,  and  fished  in  the  streams,  until  the  fol- 
lowing October,  when  he  came  back,  resumed 
partial  labor,  and  in  the  spring  of  1875,  took 
full  work. 

He  believes  that  many  die  before  their  time 
— that  if  personal  experience  were  more  close- 
ly observed,  than  the  restricted  advice  of  un- 
skillful physicians;  if  patent  medicines  were 
severely  let  alone;  if  exposure  was  risked  and 
exertion  dared,  then  would  many  tombs,  many 
years  longer  await  their  occupants. 

It  is  hoped  that  a  review  of  the  writer's  ex- 
perience may  prove  as  healthful  to  others,  as 
the  actual  exercise  was  to  himself. 

I.  M. 
Roxborough,  Phila.,  Oct.,  iSy^. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

ON    THE   WAY. 

Sea  Birds — Marvelous  Eating — Color  of  the  Sea — Entering 
the  Bay — A  Song  spoiled — Scene  at  the  Wharf — Aspinwall — 
Palms — Vultures — Statues — Churches — Jelly-fish — Railroad  to 
Panama — Wood  Chopping — Scant  Clothing — Panama — Cathe- 
dral— A  Coffin  Making — School — A  Broken  Sabbath — 
Amingo  Island — Ants — Wise  Crabs — The  Pacific — Fire  in  the 
Sea — Christmas — Volcanoes — The  Captain  and  Sabbath  service 
— Acapulco — Early  Attack— The  Town — Market — Garden — 
Diver — Sights  in  the  Sea — Manzanillo — The  Disabled  Ship — 
The  "Costa  Rica"  in  tow — San  Diego — The  little  "Gipsy" 
— A  Mirage — Seal  Rocks — The  Golden  Gate — On  Land.       ii 

CHAPTER  n. 

SAN    FRANCISCO    TO    VISALIA. 

Summer  in  Winter — A  Solid  City — The  Chinese  Question — 
Preachers'  Meeting — The  Bay — Oakland — Night  ride  to 
Goshen- -Stage  to  Visalia — The  Town — "Betsy"  after  game — 


6  CONTENTS. 

Squirrels — Quail — Rabbits  —  Jacket  and  Pantaloons — Hare — 
Wild-ducks  — Scaly  success — The  Misletoe — Weather —  The 
Sierra  Nevadas — Sun-rise — Sun-set — Off"  for  the  Mountains.    49 

CHAPTER  III. 

AMONG  THE  SIERRAS GROUSE  VALLEY. 

The  Outfit — Company — Grand  Mountain  view — A  good 
Shot — Sky  room — Rain  and  snow — The  Hunter's  cabin — Grouse 
Valley — Cabin  and  Furniture — "Bridget "at  heavy  discount — 
Game — Snow — Low  Temperature — Visit  to  Gaboon's — Deer 
tracks — A  five  days'  hunt — The  three-barrelled  rifle — Three  deer 
killed — "Betsy"  luckless — Musicof  the  Kaweah — The  old  adobe 
— Contents  of  packs — The  "Parson"  poisoned — How  "not  to 
do  it" — Farming — Rumbo  and  the  foxes — A  dead  shot — A  wild- 
cat— Hooking  Suckers — Change  of  base.  69 

CHAPTER  IV. 

AMONG  THE  SIERR.A.S CAHOOn's. 

Cabin  and  Furniture — A  day's  fishing — Homer — A  Panther — 
A  bear  and  not  a  bear — Compromise — Old  hunters  luckless — 
Wild  flowers — Literature — Domestic  employments — A  Mountain 
Sabbath — Milking — Washing  dishes — Sand-hill  Cranes — Rattle 
Snakes. — Tarantulas — Mason  spider — Lizards — Lake  trout — 
Grouse — A  receipt — Bear  tracks — Logs  and  boulders — An  Expe- 
dition alone — A  dangerous  ford — Nine  deer — A  night  in  a  "big 
tree." — "Betsy's"  first  deer — Tracks  of  a  Grizzly — The  log  and 
boulder  quarry — A  wonderful  flower — A  big  camp-fire — Hasty 
moving — Safe  return — Second  expedition — The  horse  "Gimlet" 


CONTENTS.  7 

— Boring  through  brush — View  from  a  summit — A  lone  Mal- 
lard— Mosquitoes — One  deer — A  bear  after  "Me  and  Betsy" — 
Polite  conduct — Another  bear — A  ride  proposed — The  Bible 
and  Canteen.  93 

CHAPTER  V. 

THE  BIG  TREES. 
Timber  in  California — The  Red-woods — Cutting  and  sawing 
them — Miles  of  logs — Felling  a  Red-wood — "The  Big  Trees," 
proper — Tulare  Grove — The  "General  Grant" — "The  Old 
Maid" — "Adam" — "Napoleon" — "General  Lee" — Tall  Sto- 
ries— The  Mariposa  Grove — The  "La  Fayette" — "The  Fallen 
Giant" — "The  Grizzly  Giant" — A  night  under  his  arm — The 
Calaveras  Grove — Fresno  Grove — Australian  "  Big  Trees."    138 

CHAPTER  VI. 

YOSEMITE. 

Trail  to  Paragoy's — Sentinel  Dome — Glacier  Point — Yosemite 
Fall — Half  Dome — Cap  of  Liberty — Nevada  Fall — Vernal  Fall 
— View  to  the  West — To  the  bottom — Mirror  Lake — Royal 
Arches — Toys  from  "Noah's  Ark  " — Steep  trail — Night — Trout 
at  and  after  breakfast — Fourth  of  July — Through  the  Valley — 
El  Capitan — Anecdote  of  Niagara — Two  modes  of  measuring  El 
Capitan — Too  oppressive — "Confounded  Ilea's" — Impressions  of 
Yosemite.  157 

CHAPTER  Vn. 

THE    GEYSERS. 
A  Sabbath  at  Garrote — A    drunken    priest — Fast    driving — 


5  CONTENTS. 

Wreck  of  a  Stage — Miraculous  Escape — Pluton  Creek — Geyser 
Canyon  —  Sulphur  Springs — "The  Devil's  Pulpit" — "The 
Witches'  Caldron" — "The  Devil's  Apothecary  Shop" — "The 
Devil's  Grist  Mill" — Prompt  Exit — New  Stage  Road  to  Clover- 
dale.  177 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

MENDOCINO. 

Extent  and  Character  of  Mendocino  county — End  of  a  long 
ride — Little  Lake  Valley — Mountain  Trout — Wretched  luck — 
Among  the  red- woods — A  "two-pounder," — Shooting  Salmon 
Trout — Unexpected  immeision — A  four  days'  hunt. — "Spanish 
George" — Two  Deer — Little  Fawn — Mr.B.inluck — "Betsy "and 
I  useless — More  fish — Tussle  with  a  b'g  Trout — Cr.ppled  deer — 
Practice  with  rifle — Importance  of  a  dog — Carter's  "bad  luck" 
— Another  hunt — One  Deer — Hard  scratching — The  Orphan 
Fawn — Gray  Squirrels — Wild  Pigeons — Weather — Schools  and 
Churches — Estimate  of  human  life — Remarkable  traits  of  Char- 
acter— Indians — Condition  on  the  Reservations.  187 

CHAPTER  IX. 

SOUTHERN  CALIFORNIA. 

By  Steamer  to  San  Pedro — The  "Saints"  in  a  fog — Sinners 
in  trouble — Santa  Barbara — The  old  Mission — Beautiful  Sea 
Weeds — "  Sinking  Peter  " — Wilmington — Compton — Florence 
— Los  Angeles — A  ride    through    the  country — "  Paradise   Re- 


CONTENTS.  9 

gained  " — Not  yet — To  San  Bernardino — San  Gabriel — Cuca- 
monga — The  Vintage — The  "Mocker  " —  Opinions —  The 
Desert — Mt.  San  Bernardino — The  Valley — The  Town — Mor- 
mons— Ride  through  the  country — An  old  Schoolmate — Sabbath 
— Back  to  Los  Angeles — A  run  off — The  Frenchman  and  Whis- 
ky— Sketch  of  a  horse  by  Jehu — San  Beneventura — "Bull 
fight" — "Bearing  the  Cross" — Staging  by  water — Climate  of 
Los  Angeles  and  Santa  Barbara — The  Santa  Inez  Mountain — The 
River — Luis  Obispo — Salinas  River  and  Plain — Return  to  San 
Francisco.  217 

CHAPTER  X. 

HOMEWARD. 

By  Central  Pacific  Railroad — Lathrop — A  Grizzly  Bear — Sac- 
ramento— Rocklin — Colfax — Summit — Cape  Horn — Truckee — 
Snow  sheds — Snow-plows — Wadsworth — Virginia  City — White 
Plains — Mirage  Lake — Humboldt  Lake  and  River — Promontory 
Point,  where  the  Central  Pacific  and  the  Union  Pacific  unite — 
Great  Salt  Lake — Ogdcn  — Salt  Lake  City — The  Mormons — 
Weber  Canyon — Thousand  Mile  Tree — Echo  Canyon — The 
runaway  cars  and  the  wrecked  Dutchmen — The  Rocky  Moun- 
tains— Creston — Lake  Como — Short-legged  Cat-fish — Artesian 
Wells — Antelopes — Sherman — Pike's  Peak — Cheyenne — Gree- 
ley and  Denver  City — Grand  Duke  Alexis — Prairie  Dog  City — 
North  Platte — Sabbath — Scene  in  a  Railroad  Car — Sidney — 
Sharp  Practice — Platte  River — Omaha  and  Council  Blufl^s — St. 
Louis — Splendid  Bridge — Vastness  of  the  country — Home.     241 


lO  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XI. 

WHAT  LUCK. 

Catching  a  cold — Two  results — Information,  health,  climate — 
Irrigation — Frequent  poverty — Advantages  of  Southern  California 
— Difficulties — Fruitful  capital — Large  farms — Cattle  and  sheep 
— "John"  in  the  mines — The  Jeweled  sorceress — Wrecks  on 
the  coast — The  good  alone  rewarded — Effect  of  climate  upon 
invalids — Advice  from  experience — A  prescription  for  vocal  diffi- 
culty. 272 


THE 


Gun,  Rod  and  Saddle. 


CHAPTER  I. 


ON    THE    WAV. 


44  /^HARLEY,  what   kind    of  a   bird   is 

^  that?" 

"That?     That  is  a  Say -bird,  sir." 

•  It  was  the  i8th  of  December.     We  were  in 

the  middle  of  the  Caribbean  Sea,  and  had  not 

seen  a  bird  after  leaving  New  York  Bay.     I 

was  leaning  on  the  rail  near  my  state-room 

door,  looking  into  the  mystery  of  the  waves, 

had  noticed  this  brown-backed  bird  sweeping 

around  our  ship,  and  as  our  table-boy  passed, 

having  previously  learned  from  him  that  he  had 

been  often  at  sea  since  his  voyage  from  Erin, 

1 1 


12  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

I  made  a  serious  inquiry  for  information.  He 
answered  my  question  most  respectfully.  He 
deserved,  and  a  day  later,  at  Aspinwall,  re- 
ceived a  silver  coin,  chiefly  for  that  excellent 
reply. 

Just  north  of  Cuba  I  had  seen  birds — birds 
that  looked  like  silver  swallows,  rising  from 
the  waves,  flying  swiftly  from  fifty  to  one 
hundred  yards,  then  alighting.  A  riddle  fol- 
lowed. Where  were  they?  The  se'a  was 
rough,  and  I  thought  they  must  be  some  kind 
of  petrel,  at  home  on  the  waves.  Presently 
some  started  and  disappeared  near  the  ship. 
The  riddle  was  answered.  They  were  flying- 
fish.  They  are  a  curious  connecting  link  be- 
tween the  finny  tribes  in  the  deeps  below,  and 
the  winged  families  of  the  deeps  above. 

But  some  of  the  inhabitants  of  our  ship, 
were  to  me  as  much  of  a  mystery  as  the 
strangers  of  the  sea. 

We  had  rough  weather.  Most  of  us  could 
eat  little  or  nothing  for  some  days,  and 
what  little  we  did  get  down  seemed  to  mul- 
tiply indefinitely    when   it  had    to    come    up. 


ON  THE  WAY.  1 3 

Neptune  levied  a  tribute,  and  all  the  pow- 
ers above  and  below  conspired  to  see  it 
paid.  But  he  appeared  to  have  a  few  favorites 
who  were  exempted.  A  man  next  me  at  table 
was  one  of  them.  The  first  smell  of  salt-water 
whetted  his  appetite.  The  gale  proved  a 
grindstone.  As  we  got  more  sick,  he  got 
more  hungry.  His  ability  at  the  table  was 
simply  marvelous.  To  illustrate.  He  had 
made  a  bet  with  some  boon  companions  and 
won  it.  A  treat  followed.  He  came  to  din- 
ner under  the  influence  of  liquor.  He  apolo- 
gized, first  to  me,  then  to  some  ladies  opposite, 
for  being  in  the  condition  he  was,  and  then 
fell  to  eating.  On  my  first  Circuit  I  had  once 
helped  a  stout  boy  of  fourteen,  in  the  absence 
of  his  father  from  the  suppertable.  I  thought 
his  eating  was  serious,  when  he  reached  his 
plate  for  the  fourth  piece  of  long  sausage. 
But  here  was  a  man  of  medium  size,  who  far 
excelled  him.  After  soup,  he  paid  no  atten- 
tion to  courses.  Remarking  to  me  that  his 
appetite  had  been  constantly  improving  since 
he  came  on  board,  he  began  with  a  plate  of 


14  TTTK  OUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

pickles.  Having  finished  them,  he  attacked  a 
glass  of  celery,  sometimes  striking,  and  as 
often  missing  the  salt-cellar,  by  his  plate. 
Then  followed  a  dish  of  "  fritters,"  five  in  num- 
ber. Then  an  "onion  stew."  Then  "corned 
beef  and  cabbage."  When  he  ordered  "  boiled 
mutton,"  I  left.  Subsequently,  I  learned  that 
he  finished  with  a  plate  of  pudding,  over  which 
his  unsteady  hands  had  emptied  the  en- 
tire contents  of  the  sauce-boat.  The  opinion 
that  "  Man  wants  but  little  here  below"  is  not 
sustained  by  all  the  facts. 

Land  hove  dimly  into  sight,  early  in  the 
afternoon  of  the  eighth  day  from  New  York. 
Heavy  swells  were  running  twice  as  fast  as 
we,  from  North-east  to  South-west.  The 
color  of  the  sea  had  changed.  The  Atlan- 
tic looked  inky  black.  Now  the  water  was 
dark  green,  and  sometimes  light  blue.  In 
conversation  with  an  old  sea  captain,  now 
on  his  way  to  the  Pacific  Coast,  I  asked  what 
caused  the  changes  in  appearance?  He  re- 
plied, positively,  that  they  were  "  Caused  by 
the  change  of  temperature,  resulting  from  the 


ON  THE  WAY.  I  5 

Gulf  Stream  flowing  around  the  west  end  of 
Cuba."  The  landsman  asked  no  more  ques- 
tions. 

At  six  o'clock  we  swept  into  the  little  bay 
at  Aspinwall.  A  dozen  or  more  vessels  of 
various  nationalities  were  lying  at  anchor. 
Officers  and  men  were  all  on  deck,  and  the 
flags  were  gayly  flying.  The  bay  was  smooth 
as  a  mirror,  the  evening  beautiful,  and  all  our 
passengers,  steerage  excepted,  were  on  the 
upper  deck.  On  the  starboard  quarter,  a  man 
was  using  the  lead. 

Captain  Gray,  a  quiet,  old  gentleman,  stood 
on  the  wheel-house,  from  time  to  time  calling 
to  the  men  at  the  wheel,  "  Starboard !  "  "  Port !  " 
"Steady!" 

The  man  with  the  lead  had  a  powerful  pair 
of  lungs,  and  this  was  a  grand  opportunity  to 
use  them.  So  in  a  most  incomprehensible, 
sing-song  way,  he  kept  calling  out,  "  B-y  the 
m-a-a-r-k  eight  h-a-a-1-f!"  "  B-y  the  m-a-a-r-k 
f-i-i-i-i-v-e!  etc." 

The  passengers  were  amused.  All  conver- 
sation   ceased,  to    hear   the   wondrous    song. 


1 6  lEIE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

which  steadily  lengthened  as  the  depth  de- 
creased. The  Captain  lost  his  patience,  turn- 
ed toward  the  noisy  man,  and  shouted  down : 

"Quit  your  bawling,  sir,  and  tell  us  how 
much  water  we  have." 

"Five  fathoms,  sir,"  was  the  prompt  reply. 

The  music  ceased.  The  information  was 
divested  of  all  operatic  gymnastics,  and  was 
easily  understood.  I  thought  of  pulpits  and 
choirs  that  might  learn  a  lesson  from  the  testy 
order  of  our  long-suffering  Captain.  Less 
noise,  more  definite  information. 

Our  good  ship,  the  Henry  Chauncey,  swung 
up  to  the  wharf,  and  her  huge  paddle-wheels 
ceased  to  revolve.  Night  and  day  we  had  felt 
the  throb  of  her  fifteen  hundred  horse-power 
engine,  and  I  had  often  watched  the  curious 
mechanical  contrivance  that  registered  her 
twelve  foot  strokes.  It  now  marked  one  hun- 
dred and  eighteen  thousand,  seven  hundred 
and  five  revolutions.  The  distance  run  in  eight 
days  and  six  hours  was  about  nineteen  hun- 
dred and  forty  miles. 

A  lively  scene  now  presented  itself     The 


ON  THE  WAV.  17 

gangways  were  placed,  and  the  discharge  of 
freight  commenced  fore  and  aft.  Such  a  mix- 
ture of  men !  Negroes,  mulattoes,  quad- 
roons, octaroons,  Creoles,  Chinese,  white 
English,  mixed  Spanish,  officers,  porters,  fore- 
men, hurrying  and  shouting,  talking  in  several 
languages,  the  lowing  of  young  cattle  being 
transferred  to  the  cars,  the  rumble  ofbarrows, 
the  creaking  of  pulleys,  and  the  puffing  of  a 
spunky  little  donkey-engine,  made  up  a  sight 
and  a  sound  never  to  be  forgotten.  The  lan- 
terns gleamed,  and  the  boxes  tumbled  in  the 
great  freight  depot,  until  I  was  fast  asleep. 

In  the  morning  a  company  of  us  strolled 
through  the  town.  The  streets  are  regular, 
wide,  unpaved;  the  houses  are  mostly  one 
story,  some  two  and  three.  The  better  ones 
only,  are  built  of  brick  or  stone.  Some  of  the 
officers  and  employes  of  the  railroad  and 
steamship  companies  have  handsome  resi- 
dences, and  many  choice  flowers  adorn  their 
tastefully  arranged  door-yards.  Most  of  the 
buildings  in  the  city  are  roofed  with  tile; 
many  of  the  poorer  ones,  thatched  with  palm- 


1 8  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

leaf.  The  inhabitants  are  as  various  as  was 
the  throng  at  the  wharf.  They  were  dressed 
in  light  summer  garb,  though  it  was  the  twen- 
tieth of  December.  The  Thermometer  rose 
to  85°  before  noon.  None  of  the  small  chil- 
dren were  encumbered  with  more  than  a  loose 
slip,  and  many  of  them  played  around  among 
the  chickens  and  domestic  animals  entirely 
naked.  A  few  were  badly  formed,  others 
were  perfect  models  of  symmetry.  Being  of 
a  chocolate  color,  some  of  the  little  fellows 
looked  as  if  made  of  mahogany,  turned  and 
polished  in  a  turning-lathe. 

The  flags  of  different  nations  were  flying 
over  their  respective  Consulates.  Various 
wares  filled  numerous  large  shops  on  the 
main  street.  Oranges,  limes,  bananas,  and 
pine-apples,  loaded  the  fruit  stands.  And 
gamblers  with  their  little  tables,  dice,  and  piles 
of  silver  half-dollars,  were  as  numerous  as  the 
venders  of  fruit.  All  the  natives  gamble,  and 
the  man  who  does  not,  is,  to  them,  a  curiosity. 
The  most  beautiful  object,  one  which  I  had 
long  wished  to  see,  is  the  palm.     There  are 


ON  THE  WAY.  1 9 

said  to  be  one  hundred  and  sixty-five  species 
in  Columbia  alone,  though  only  a  few  are  seen 
here.  They  are  all  graceful  in  the  extreme. 
Some  of  the  cocoa  palms  lift  their  plumed 
crests  above  the  highest  buildings,  and  green 
forever,  they  stand  a  perpetual  emblem  of  the 
tropics.  Alongside  one  of  the  streets  is  a 
handsome  bronze  statue  of  Columbus,  by 
Thalberg.  It  is  in  an  unworthy  location, 
without  enclosure,  and  without  elevation. 
There  is  a  fine  granite  monument  to  the 
Messrs.  Chauncey,  Stephens,  and  Aspinwall, 
on  the  triangular  die  of  which  appear,  in  alto 
relievo,  the  respective  busts  of  those  gentle- 
men. 

Near  the  north  beach  is  the  Episcopal 
Church,  erected  by  the  company.  It  is  a  neat 
gothic  structure,  built  of  brown  stone,  brought 
from  the  North.  The  once  handsome  interior 
was  looking  badly,  the  peculiar  climate  was 
making  inroads  upon  the  brown  stone  without, 
and  an  air  of  pending  desolation  reigned  about 
the  place.     A  rector  was  no  longer  employed. 


20  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

and  so  far  as  I  could  learn,  there  was  no  Pro- 
testant religious  service  in  the  city. 

Just  to  the  south-east  was  a  small  Roman 
Catholic  Church.  On  the  peak  of  its  red  tile 
roof,  quietly  sitting  side  by  side,  were  more 
than  a  score  of  buzzards,  or  vultures.  But 
that  was  no  disgrace  to  the  church,  however 
suggestive  it  might  be,  for  these  birds  are  very 
numerous,  have  the  freedom  of  the  city,  min- 
gle with  the  domestic  fowls  and  children,  and 
are  really  serviceable  as  scavengers. 

In  one  of  the  lagoons  formed  by  the  incom- 
ing tide,  I  saw  a  beautiful  jelly-fish,  just 
beneath  the  surface  of  the  water.  He  looked 
like  an  inverted  glass  bowl,  beautiful  in  form, 
and  almost  transparent.  I  tried  to  catch  him 
with  my  umbrella,  but  he  soon  got  out  of  my 
reach  by  a  motion  very  similar  to  the  opening 
and  shutting  of  the  machine  with  which  I  was 
trying  to  catch  him. 

In  the  same  pool,  in  striking  contrast  with 
the  jelly-fish,  were  some  black  pigs,  with  the 
longest  legs  and  noses  I  ever  saw  appended 
to    swine.     They  were    gathering    roots    and 


ON  THE  WAY.  21 

shell-fish.  As  the  tide  rose,  they  stuck  to 
their  work  with  genuine  pig-headedness.  And 
if  Darwin's  development  theory  is  correct,  it  is 
not  marvelous  how  their  legs  and  noses  be- 
came so  long.  They  were  evidently  in  a  fair 
way  to  become  either  cranes  or  divers. 

At  one  o'clock  we  were  aboard  the  cars  and 
steaming  out  for  Panama:  distance,  forty- 
seven  miles.  There  are  some  respectable  hills, 
but  no  high  mountains  along  the  road.  The 
grade  is  very  easy,  the  road  single  track,  well 
laid,  and  mostly  ballasted  with  stone.  The  ties 
are  made  of  mahogany,  as  it  is  the  only  wood 
that  resists  the  terrible  depredations  of  the 
ants.  The  same  enemy  destroyed  the  tele- 
graph poles.  To  meet  and  defeat  them,  at 
that  point,  they  moulded  poles,  or  rather  pil- 
lars of  cement.  These  are  about  twelve  feet 
high,  one  foot  in  diameter  at  the  bottom  and 
eight  inches  at  top. 

Owing  to  the  sickliness  of  the  climate,  this 
road  cost  millions  of  money,  and  tens  of  thou- 
sands of  human  lives.  As  I  stood  sometimes 
upon  the   rear  platform,  and  looked  at  those 


22  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

miles  of  dark  ties  over  which  \vc  were  thun- 
dering, each  one  seemed  to  turn  into  a  dead 
laborer.  But  the  wheels  of  trade  do  not  stop 
for  life. 

The  cars  are  very  plain,  solid  plank  seats, 
and  about  as  uncomfortable  as  the  poorest 
emigrant  cars  here  north.  Fortunately  the 
passage  is  short,  though  the  fare  seemed  quite 
long  enough  for  those  who  did  not  have  through 
tickets.     It  was  twenty-five  dollars,  gold. 

I  had  expected  to  see  many  beautiful  flow- 
ers and  birds.  There  were  neither.  Only  a 
few  of  each,  and  both  very  plain.  Upon  the 
reeds  in  a  swamp  were  some  black-birds,  like 
those  in  our  own   meadows. . 

There  is  some  good  timber,  plenty  of  wood, 
and  nearly  all  the  way,  a  dense  jungle.  Many 
of  the  large  trees  were  covered  with  moss,  im- 
mense festoons  of  which  swayed  in  the  air,  and 
often  hung  nearly  to  the  ground. 

The  population  seemed  very  sparse,  and 
the  slight  houses  were  built  of  poles,  interwo- 
ven and  thatched  with  palm  leaves   or  reeds. 

We   saw   some   of  the  natives  o-etting  out 


ON  THE  WAV.  23 

wood.  Instead  of  an  axe,  they  used  a  heavy- 
knife  about  eighteen  inches  long.  With  this 
they  slash  a  path  through  the  jungle,  chop  the 
small  trees  into  pieces  about  two  feet  long,  and 
then  pack  them  on  their  little  ponies.  For  this 
purpose,  they  have  pads  made  of  reeds  coming 
well  down  the  horse's  sides.  The  wood  is  laid 
horizontally  against  these,  under  straps  or 
ropes,  and  piled  clear  up  over  his  back.  The 
load  is  then  strapped  tightly  to  him,  and  he  is 
ready  to  take  the  trail  to  market. 

We  passed  a  native  who  seemed  to  be 
traveling.  He  had  on  a  hat,  a  shirt,  and 
a  cigar.  That  was  all.  Indeed,  we  saw  some 
smoking  cigarettes,  who  had  not  even  a  hat. 
No  wagons  or  wagon  roads  were  to  be  seen. 
There  were  some  fields  of  bananas.  These 
are  planted  in  rows  like  Indian  corn,  but  eight 
or  ten  feet  apart.  Those  we  saw  were  about 
eight  feet  high,  and  seemed  to  be  in  bearing 
condition. 

At  five  o'clock,  we  reached  Panama,  got 
aboard  the  little  transport,  and  were  taken  to 
the  steamer,  which  lay  at  anchor  two  or  three 


24  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

miles  out  in  the  bay.  All  freight  has  to  be 
transferred  by  lighters. 

On  Saturday,  a  company  of  us  returned  and 
visited  the  city.  The  dilapidated  wall  toward 
the  sea,  and  the  tile  roofs  on  the  generally 
low  buildings  within,  give  the  place  anything 
but  an  imposing  appearance.  The  streets  are 
narrow,  but  many  of  them  are  well  paved  with 
cobblestones,  and  clean.  Situated  on  a  bluff, 
as  the  city  is,  the  frequent  heavy  rains  wash  it 
thoroughly. 

Panama  is  the  centre  of  considerable  trade. 
Numerous  large  stores  were  filled  with  vast 
quantities  of  fancy  and  useful  articles.  There 
were  two  Protestant,  and  numerous  Catholic 
churches.  Three  of  these  we  visited,  includ- 
ing the  Cathedral  on  the  plaza.  They  were 
all  in  a  very  untidy  condition.  Wax  figures 
and  gaudy  tinsel  supplied  the  place  of  any- 
thing really  valuable.  The  Cathedral,  itself, 
was  verging  close  upon  ruin.  In  the  crumb- 
ling tower  were  several  old  bells,  and  in 
niches  in  front,  some  wooden  Apostles, 
painted  to  look  like  bronze.     Unable  to  gain 


ON  THE  WAY.  25 

admission  in  front,  wc  went  to  a  side  door, 
and  in  answer  to  our  knocks  and  calls,  an  old 
Creole  projected  his  gray  head  from  a  little 
window  up  in  the  tower,  and  croaked  some- 
thing in  Spanish.  After  waiting  a  few  minutes, 
the  door  grated  on  its  rusty  hinges,  and  we 
were  admitted.  Making  our  way  ov^er  piles  of 
damp  rubbish,  by  another  little  door,  we  were 
ushered  into  the  main  audience  room.  It  is 
cruciform,  and  probably  seventy  by  ninety 
feet.  Large  portions  of  the  marble  floor  are 
taken  up  with  memorial  slabs.  Numerous 
tablets  are  also  let  into  the  walls  and  pillars. 
Some  of  them  are  very  fine  marble,  and  really 
handsome;  all  the  inscriptions  are  in  Spanish. 
The  whole  place  was  sadly  neglected,  and 
seemed  better  fitted  for  a  sepulchre  than  for  a 
church.  Indeed,  no  service  had  been  held 
there,  wc  were  informed,  for  more  than  two 
years.  There  were  large  holes  in  the  lofty 
roof,  through  which  torrents  of  rain  had  pour- 
ed. In  the  east  transept,  the  cray-fish  had 
worked  up  bushels  of  earth  between  the  poor- 
ly  fitting  flag-stones  and  memorial  slabs.     It 


26  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

looked  as  though  the  dead  beneath  might  be 
getting  impatient  for  a  resurrection.  The  sex- 
ton had  left  us  to  roam  at  will;  and  he  safely 
might,  for  had  we  been  thieves,  there  was  no- 
thing worth  stealing.  He  reappeared,  how- 
ever, with  a  metal  plate  containing  some  silver 
coins,  which  were  disposed  upon  it  like  a  few 
hot  cakes,  when  necessity  for  show,  at  a 
hotel,  exceeds  the  supply.  We  added  a  few 
to  his  store — enough  to  pay  for  washing  his 
poor  garments,  and  repairing  the  wretched 
slippers  which  he  shoved  over  the  floor  with 
his  naked  feet. 

On  a  little  recess  stood  an  empty  wine  bot- 
tle, and  in  some  remote  corner,  up  near  the 
roof,  we  heard  the  sound  of  a  carpenter's  saw. 

With  the  dead  beneath,  the  wine  of  life  all 
gone,  that  ghost  of  a  sexton  and  gloom 
around,  it  seemed  as  though  the  carpenter 
were  making  a  coffin  to  bury  the  whole  insti- 
tution. Surely  anything  so  far  decomposed 
were  better  in  the  grave  than  out  of  it. 

We  visited  a  school,  also.  A  pleasant  little 
man  had  charge  of  about  thirty  children.    We 


ON  THE  WAY.  2/ 

were  courteously  received — a  bright  boy  of 
fifteen  acting  as  interpreter.  He  was  the  only 
one  who  could  speak  English.  They  gave  us 
some  exhibitions  of  their  knowledge  of  Arith- 
metic and  Geography;  the  former  on  a 
black-board,  the  latter  on  a  small  globe.  The 
English  speaking  boy  did  most  of  it,  and  was 
evidently  the  best  scholar  in  school.  He  had 
a  fine  head  and  brilliant  eye.  We  requested 
them  to  sing,  but  music  was  not  in  their 
course  of  instruction. 

In  the  evening,  we  returned  to  the  ship. 
Officers  and  men  were  busy  all  day  Sun- 
day, putting  in  freight.  There  was  no  public 
religious  service  on  board. 

On  Monday,  we  visited  Amingo  Island, 
one  of  several  lying  in  the  bay.  This  one  is 
owned  by  the  Steamship  Company,  and  is 
used  as  a  burial  ground.  It  is  probably  a 
mile  in  circumference,  covered  with  wood  and 
jungle,  and  rises  abruptly  some  two  hundred 
feet.  We  saw  nearly  a  hundred  graves  on  the 
steep  hillside.     Some  were  marked  by  niarble 


28  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

slabs,  a  few,  by  monuments,  but  most,  with 
wooden  head-boards. 

Near  the  narrow  foot-path,  on  a  tree,  was  a 
large  ants'  nest.  I  had  noticed  them  from  the 
cars,  as  we  crossed  the  Isthmus,  but  supposed 
they  were  excrescences  belonging  to  the  trees. 
Making  a  way  to  it  through  the  nettles  and 
briers,  I  found  numerous  covered  ways  lead- 
ing up  the  trunk  of  the  tree  to  the  main  nest, 
and  again  from  the  nest  in  all  directions  along 
the  limbs  and  branches.  Not  an  ant  was  visi- 
ble. When  I  broke  through  one  of  the  covered 
ways,  there  appeared  scores  of  the  little  black 
workers,  and  instead  of  fleeing  in  terror,  they 
rushed  out  to  punish  the  invader.  The 
material  used  in  construction  seems  to  be  a 
dark  vegetable  matter,  firmly  cemented  to- 
gether, about  as  thick  as  light  card  paper,  and 
nearly  as  strong.  To  see  how  their  dwelling 
was  constructed,  knowing  that  they  had  plenty 
of  time  to  repair  damages,  I  punched  a  hole 
in  their  house.  It  was  a  conglomerate  mass  of 
irregular  cells,  apparently  communicating  with 
each    other.     A    furious  host    rushed   to  the 


ON  THE  WAY,  2g 

breach,  and  it  was  well  for  me  that  they  had  no 
wings.  On  another  tree  near  by,  was  a  nest 
larger  than  a  bushel  basket.  Their  building 
on  trees  may  be  necessary  to  protect  them 
from  the  heavy  rains  that  fall  in  these  latitudes, 
and  their  covered  ways  are  probably  for  the 
same  purpose. 

On  the  beach  was  another  curiosity.  On 
the  shore  at  Panama,  when  the  tide  was  out, 
we  saw  hundreds  of  active  little  crabs  flying 
for  refuge  to  the  holes  and  crannies  in  the 
rocks.  Here  there  were  no  rocks  to  hide  in. 
On  the  beach,  however,  were  plenty  of  empty 
shells  lying  scattered  about.  So  every  crab 
took  refuge  in  a  shell  just  large  enough  to 
admit  his  body.  Nay,  further,  he  would  travel 
with  it  on  his  back,  and  make  vastly  better 
speed  than  a  turtle.  Nor  did  the  large  ones 
alone  have  a  monopoly  of  this  good  sense,  but 
little  fellows,  not  larger  than  a  bee  or  spider, 
would  rush  around  in  a  shell  not  so  large  as  a 
lady's  thimble.  I  took  up  one  of  medium  size, 
and  intended  to  pull  him  out.     Not  by  any 


30  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

means.  He  suffered  himself  to  be  torn  asunder 
rather  than  yield. 

Near  the  beach,  in  the  crystal  sea,  was  a 
magnificent  jelly-fish,  about  a  foot  in  diameter, 
and  as  beautiful  in  form  as  a  flower.  Our 
boatman  took  his  oar  and  hoisted  it  upon  the 
sand.  It  was  at  once  a  shapeless  and  disgust- 
ing mass.  Like  many  other  beautiful  things 
in  this  world,  they  benefit  us  most  the  more 
we  let  them  alone. 

Returning  to  the  ship,  we  rowed  close  past 
another  island,  hoping  to  have  seen  some 
monkeys.  There  are  said  to  be  a  few  in  these 
islands,  but  we  did  not  get  a  sight  of  any.  As 
we  returned  to  the  ship  the  sun  was  intensely 
hot,  though  it  was  the  twenty-third  of  Decem- 
ber. The  thermometer  on  board  stood  at  89°. 
.Freight  was  still  going  in,  and  our  ship  was 
drawing  twenty  feet  of  water. 

At  9  o'clock,  next  morning,  the  scows  and 
lighters  were  cleared  away,  the  anchor  was 
weighed,  a  line  was  made  fast  to  a  buoy,  our 
Chinese  sailors  tramped  around  the  capstan 
singing  their  sailor  song,  the  ship  was  headed 


ON  THE  WAY.  3  I 

round,  the  line  thrown  off,  steam  let  on,  the 
wheels  revolved,  and  the  "Constitution"  was 
on  her  way  toward  the  broad  Pacific.  To  the 
right  were  some  beautifijl  islands,  on  which 
were  fine  plantations — fields  of  bananas  on  the 
hill-side  being  visible  a  long  distance.  At 
noon  we  had  made  twenty-five  miles  and  were 
in  latitude  8°  13^  North — Course,  West  4° 
South.     In  sight  of  land  all  day. 

At  night  we  had  the  first  exhibition  of  fire- 
works at  sea.  The  "phosphorescence,"  as  it 
is  usually  called,  behind  the  paddle-wheels 
and  in  our  long  wake,  rivaled  in  splendor  the 
milky  way  in  the  sky.  To  many  of  us  the 
sight  was  wholly  new.  Coals  mingled  in 
water  fail  to  convey  the  idea,  because  all  our 
land  experience  shows  that  water  immediately 
quenches  them.  Here,  the  more  they  were 
drowned  and  agitated,  the  more  brilliantly 
they  burned.  The  light  made  sometimes  was 
suflScient  to  render  newspaper  type  legible. 
Our  wake  was  a  highway  of  glory  stretched 
out  over  the  sea.  The  light  is  caused  by 
myriads  of  little  jelly-fish.     Some  think  it  due 


32  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

to  phosphorus,  others  to  electrical  action  in 
the  body  of  the  animal.  Be  the  source  what 
it  may,  it  furnishes  a  charm  for  many  long 
evenings  on  deck.  One  cannot  help  asking, 
whether  John,  the  Revelator,  had  not  looked 
upon  such  a  scene,  before  he  wrote  of  the  "sea 
of  glass  mingled  with  fire." 

Next  day  was  Christmas.  To  one  having 
always  spent  the  day  amid  cold  and  snow,  it 
seemed  strange  to  pass  it  under  a  tropical  sun, 
in  summer  garb,  and  glad  to  purchase  ice  for 
ten  cents  per  pound.  The  day  was  spent 
pleasantly  in  conversation,  reading,  and  various 
games.  Interesting  acquaintances  had  been 
formed  long  ere  this,  and  the  morning's  wishes 
were  as  cordial  as  those  in  a  family  at  home. 
The  dinner,  at  five  o'clock,  was  no  ordinary 
affair.  Even  the  sea  furnished  roast  turkey 
and  other  good  things  in  abundance. 

In  the  evening,  some  young  men  got  up  an 
entertainment  in  the  main  saloon.  A  wild 
sky-lark  from  Washington,  who  had  scarce 
seen  a  sober  day  after  leaving  New  York, 
made  a  little  speech  on  the  character  of  the 


ON  THE  WAV.  33 

event  we  were  celebrating,  and  then  introduced 
the  purser,  who  recited  a  selection  from 
Hamlet;  then  followed  a  miserably  sung  solo, 
by  the  first  speaker.  The  exhibition  Avas 
witnessed,  almost  of  necessity,  by  a  large  part 
of  the  cabin  passengers.  A  whiskey  punch 
came  next.  In  disgust  I  went  out  on  deck  to 
look  at  the  stars  in  the  sky  above,  and  at  the 
fire  in  the  deep  below.  Even  the  little  jelly- 
fish were  doing  more  than  those  men,  in  honor 
of  Bethlehem's  Star. 

On  Saturday,  we  were  running  along  the 
coast  of  Guatimala,  some  twenty-five  miles 
from  shore.  As  the  morning  dawned,  we  got 
a  good  view  of  several  inactive  volcanos,  one 
of  which  is  known  as  the  water  volcano.  It 
seemed  impossible  that  they  should  be  sixty 
or  seventy  miles  away.  Sheets  of  cloud,  far 
below  their  tops,  floated  about  them.  Their 
relative  positions  changed  \'ery  slowly,  and 
when  the  evening's  sun  lighted  up  their  sum- 
mits, we  seemed  to  be  near  them  yet.  The 
highest  is  about  sixteen  thousand  feet  high. 

Having  had  an  introduction  to  our  captain, 


34  'I'l'I-  <'L^;.  KOI)  AND  SADULK. 

at  Panama,  I  found  him  not  only  the  hardy  and 
thorough  sailor,  but  also  a  genial  gentleman. 
He  kindly  gave  me  access  to  his  maps,  charts, 
and  notes  of  former  voyages.  He  was  exceed- 
ingly desirous  that  I  should  conduct  religious 
service  the  next  day,  and  I  was  equally  so  to 
accept  the  invitation.  But  my  vocal  disability 
positively  prevented.  He  said  that  the  rules 
of  the  Company  required  him  to  conduct  the 
service,  or  secure  a  substitute.  For  himself,  he 
could  not  conscientiously,  on  one  Sabbath, 
oversee  the  men  putting  in  freight,  when  a 
rest  would  do  all  hands  good,  and  then  on  the 
next,  when  no  time  would  be  lost,  conduct 
religious  services.  He  regarded  it  as  a  solemn 
mockery,  and  when  there  was  no  minister 
aboard  he  devolved  the  duty  upon  the  purser. 
In  regard  to  Sunday  work  in  port,  he  was 
satisfied  that  the  Company  were  losers  in  the 
end  by  requiring  it.  And  in  respect  to  all 
Sunday  work,  although  not  a  professed 
Christian,  he  said  he  did  not  believe  that  man 
was  "wise  enough  to  cheat  his  Maker  out  of 
a  day." 


ON  THE  WAY.  35 

Next  morning  the  Purser  was  sick.  The 
captain  again  urged  me  to  read  service.  I 
could  not,  but  told  him  that  I  thought  the 
duty  was  clearly  his,  under  the  circumstances. 
He  had  not  done  so  for  two  years,  and  posi- 
tively would  not.  However,  when  the  hour 
arrived,  the  Purser  crawled  out  of  his  berth 
and  appeared  in  the  main  saloon,  where  the 
captain  and  twenty  others  were  present  for 
worship.  Two-thirds  of  the  passengers  were 
absent.  With  much  less  effect  than  he  had 
rendered  Hamlet,  he  rushed  through  the 
formal  Protestant  Episcopal  service,  and  closed 
within  thirty  minutes.  The  letter  of  the 
Steam  Ship  Company's  law  was  complied 
with,  and  things  moved  on  as  usual. 

In  the  afternoon,  we  were  crossing  the  Gulf 
of  Tehuantepec,  and  the  sea  was  rough.  We 
ran  within  twelve  or  fifteen  miles  of  shore,  for 
there  is  always  here  a  stiff  wind  blowing  down 
from  the  mountains  of  Mexico.  Before  even- 
in"",  however,  wc  were  sailinsz  in  a  sea  as  smooth 
as  a  vast  meadow,  and  the  sun  went  down  amid 
piles  of  glory.     The  thermometer  marked  89°, 


36  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

and  we  retired  with  the  promise  that  morning 
would  find  us  at  Acapulco.  And  it  did.  The 
thunder  of  our  signal  gun  waked  up  everybody. 
Looking  out,  I  sawthe  dim  outline  of  mountains 
around  us,  heard  the  cable  hum  through  the 
hawse-hole,  found  it  was  two  o'clock,  and  then 
crept  back  to  sleep  a  little  more.  At  4^ 
o'clock  sleep  was  impossible.  The  natives  by 
scores  had  surrounded  our  vessel,  in  their 
canoes.  They  carried  torches,  and  made  as 
much  noise  as  a  fish  market.  Already  they 
were  driving  a  lively  trade  with  our  passengers. 
They  had  for  sale,  oranges,  lemons,  limes, 
bananas,  pine-apples,  corals,  various  shells, 
Panama  hats,  hammocks,  parrots,  paroquets, 
turkeys,  and  chickens.  A  long  cord  and  a 
small  basket  or  pail  served  to  raise  goods  and 
lower  money.  Their  canoes  were  cut  out  of 
a  single  mahogany  tree,  and  the  largest  were 
about  three  feet  wide,  and  fifteen  or  eighteen 
long.  Most  of  them  were  much  smaller.  In 
some  were  two  men,  in  others,  a  man  or  woman 
and  boy,  and  a  few  were  adroitly  "  manned  "  by 
a  single  woman.     One  short  paddle  furnished 


ON  THE  WAV.  37 

rowing  apparatus.  With  all  their  noise  they 
wore  exceedingly  courteous  to  each  other,  and 
careful  to  avoid  collision  in  managing  their 
craft. 

A  company  of  nine  of  us  got  early  "tea  and 
toast"  and  went  over  to  the  city.  A  poor, 
miserable  place  it  is.  There  are  a  number  of 
stone  and  brick  buildings,  but  most  of  the 
houses  are  built  of  poles  and  thatched  with 
reeds  or  palm  leaf  Streets  wide,  unpaved,  ir- 
regular and  ungraded.  The  only  water-works 
seemed  to  be  a  public  well,  some  eighteen 
feet  in  diameter,  walled  up  about  three  feet 
above  ground  and  uncovered.  From  this, 
women  and  boys  were  carrying  water  in  three- 
gallon  earthen  jars,  set  upon  their  heads.  On 
a  rocky  elevation  the  meat  market  was  in 
progress.  The  meat  was  cut  in  long  thin 
strips  and  hung  over  poles.  It  is  so  disposed 
of  to  keep  it  sweet.  We  visited  the  little 
Catholic  Church.  Its  dirt  and  tinsel  were 
about  equal  to  what  we  had  seen  at  Panama. 

A  half  mile  out,  we  visited  a  garden,  or 
fruit  farm.     The  cocoa  palm,   orange,   lemon, 


38  THE  GUN,  rod" AND  SADDLE. 

lime,  and  tamarind  trees  mingled  their  shade, 
and  pine-apples  were  growing  in  profusion. 
The  signal  gun  warned  us  to  return.  As  our 
boat  went  from  the  landing  toward  the  ship,  a 
youth  of  sixteen  drove  a  lively  trade  swimming 
along  and  diving  for  dimes,  which  some  of  the 
passengers  tossed  far  out  into  deep  water. 
He  brought  each  one  up,  held  it  up  in  triumph, 
and  after  a  full  breath,  would  call  out,  "  catchee 
mo." 

This  little  bay  is  a  marvel  of  beauty,  and  so 
entirely  surrounded  by  lofty  hills  and  moun- 
tains, as  at  first  sight,  to  one  waking  inside, 
to  afford  no  egress.  It  is  only  about  three- 
fourths  of  a  mile  in  diameter ;  yet  the  water  is 
deep,  very  clear,  and  a  passage  for  the  largest 
vessels  is  always  open  to  the  sea.  From  the 
ocean,  too,  it  must  have  taken  careful  search- 
ing to  find  the  entrance. 

The  discharge  of  sixty-five  tons  of  freight 
was  completed;  anchor  was  weighed,  and  at 
9j^  o'clock  we  were  under  way  again. 

The  coast  of  this  part  of  Mexico  presents 
no  remarkable  scenery — only  a  succession  of 


ON  THE  WAV.  39 

low  mountain  ranges  and  hills.  But  the  sea 
itself  never  lost  interest.  There  is  a  weird 
witchery  in  waves. 

The  whole  way  from  Panama,  we  had  seen 
frequent  specimens  of  snakes,  about  five  feet 
long,  swimming  leisurely  on  the  smooth  surface 
of  the  sea.  Then,  too,  there  were  smart  look- 
ing turtles,  about  a  half-yard  in  diameter, 
floating  at  ease.  When  the  ship  came  near, 
they  would  duck  their  heads,  paddle  a  little, 
and  then  presently  look  up  at  the  receding 
monster  with  apparent  satisfaction.  Beside 
these  on  the  surface,  often  far  down  in  the 
clear  depths,  there  were  brilliant  apparitions 
of  beautiful  fish.  One,  said  to  be  a  dolphin, 
looked  like  a  section  of  rainbow  in  rapid  flight. 
But  there  was  something  in  the  waves  alone, 
more  interesting  than  these.  Their  colors 
were  as  various  as  the  colors  of  the  sky,  and 
their  forms  as  different  as  the  forms  on  land. 
Added  to  this  was  the  interesting  peculiarity, 
that  while  the  changes  in  animal  and  vegeta- 
ble forms  and  colors  are  so  slow  as  not  to  be 
inimediatelv  noticed,  here  the   transformation 


40  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

takes  place  under  your  eyes.  The  Atlantic 
had  been  cold  as  an  iceberg,  and  as  rough  as 
a  thunderstorm.  Its  waves  were  inky  black 
and  terrible.  The  Caribbean  Sea  was  milder, 
by  far,  but  yet  gave  evidence  of  being  a  near 
relative. 

The  Pacific  was  as  different  as  peace  is  from 
war.  Its  colors  were  always  milder.  Even 
its  larger  waves,  in  the  Gulf  of  Tehuantepec, 
seemed  to  be  less  angry,  for  on  them  were 
small  secondary  and  tertiary  waves,  running 
another  way,  as  if  to  soothe  them.  In  the  At- 
lantic, the  secondary  were  like  mounted  furies 
urging  the  primary  on.  The  Pacific  had  its 
immense,  clean  shaved  meadows  or  prairies, 
with  the  flowers  all  beneath  the  surface.  There 
seemed  to  be  a  cheerful  spirit  pervading  and 
reigning  over  it.  Sometimes,  under  the 
breath  of  that  spirit,  whole  square  leagues 
would  smile  into  dimples.  At  night,  our  bow 
threw  back  this  surface  into  folds  of  richest 
velvet,  trimmed  with  lace,  and  sometimes 
sparkling  with  fire. 

On  Wednesday,  January    1st,  at  five   P.  M., 


ON  THE  WAY.  4 1 

we  dropped  anchor  in  the  harbor  of  Manzanillo. 
A  mile  above  the  entrance  we  saw  a  vessel  at 
anchor,  but  our  officers  could  not  make  her 
out.  To  our  surprise  and  regret,  we  soon 
learned  that  it  was  the  "  Costa  Rica,"  one  of  the 
Company's  vessels,  which  had  sailed  from 
Panama  twelve  days  ahead  of  us.  She  had 
got  about  eighty  miles  above  Manzanillo,  when 
her  crank-pin  broke.  Having  no  duplicate, 
they  set  her  meagre  sails,  and  after  great  diffi- 
culty, and  narrowly  escaping  wreck,  they  had 
worked  her  back  to  her  present  position.  Her 
purser  came  in  a  boat  and  reported.  No- 
thing remained  but  to  take  her  passengers  and 
baggage  on  board,  and  the  ship,  herself,  in 
tow,  for  the  remaining  fifteen  hundred  miles. 
At  nine  o'clock,  we  steamed  out  toward  her, 
but  it  was  deemed  unsafe  to  lay  hold  before 
morning. 

With  early  dawn  the  transfer  began,  while 
our  ship  lay  off  and  on  near  her.  There  were 
forty-five  cabin  passengers  and  fifty  steerage. 
Some  sublime  grumbling  followed,  both  on 
the  part  of  recipients  and  received.    Of  course, 


42  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

nearly  everybody  preferred  a  state-room 
alone.  I  believe  the  fates  "  doubled  up  "  those 
who  grumbled  most,  for  I  had  prepared  to 
give  a  very  cordial  reception,  to  the  unfortu- 
nate who  should  be  assigned  to  me,  and  my 
preparation  proved  useless.  Some  of  the 
transferred  were  as  savage  as  bears.  Two 
weeks  extra  on  the  Pacific  had  not  pacified 
them,  and  one  more  rude  than  the  rest,  had  a 
fracas  with  a  waiter,  the  first  time  at  table. 

To  get  the  vessel  in  tow  was  no  small  job. 
Though  not  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
from  the  rocky  shore,  she  was  anchored  in 
fifty  fathoms,  both  from  stem  and  stern.  Fear- 
ing that  her  bower  anchor  would  not  hold, 
and  that  she  would  swing  upon  the  rocks,  the 
captain  had  let  go  her  kedge,  which  had 
become  entangled,  as  we  soon  learned,  in  the 
cable  of  her  bower.  A  twelve  inch  hawser 
was  passed  to  her  from  our  ship,  and  made 
fast.  She  attempted  to  weigh  anchor.  Link 
by  link  the  donkey-engine  lifted  the  ponder- 
ous chain,  and  after  a  long  time,  the  huge  iron 
knots    came    to    the    surface.       A    man    was 


ON  THE  WAY.  43 

lowered  to  examine  them;  of  course,  he  might 
as  well  have  tried  to  "loose  the  bands  of 
Orion." 

Our  ship  was  slowly  swinging  around  into 
dangerous  proximity,  and  our  captain  ordered 
them  to  "slip  the  cables  and  let  go  the 
anchors."  There  were  high  words  and  hard 
swearing  on  the  "Costa  Rica."  They  "could 
not  get  it  loose!" 

''  Cut'A  then!" 

That  required  time.  To  prevent  collision, 
our  vessel  had  to  let  them  go,  run  out  to  sea, 
make  a  circuit  and  come  up  again. 

It  was  two  o'clock  when  the  hawser  was 
passed  again,  the  cable  was  then  cut,  the 
anchors  left,  and  the  cripple  was  free  to  follow 
her  leader.  There  seemed  to  be  no  end  to 
"going  slow,"  "steady"  and  "stopping."  At 
5  P.  M.,we  had  made  twenty-five  miles,  pass- 
ing some  peculiar  rocks  known  to  be  that  dis- 
tance from  Manzanillo.  A  second  hawser 
was  then  attached.  Many  stops  and  starts 
were  made  during  the  night,  for  the  hawsers 
persisted  in  chafing,  and  something  was  fre- 


44  'J'HE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

quently  on  the  point  of  going  wrong.  It  was 
a  time  of  trial  both  to  officers  and  men.  Those 
Chinese  sailors  seemed  as  patient  as  oxen; 
and  the  waiters,  too,  all  turned  out,  as  occasion 
required,  to  haul  those  immense  piles  of  twelve 
inch  rope. 

On  Saturday,  Jan.  4th,  we  crossed  the  Gulf 
of  California,  and  at  one  o'clock  on  Sabbath 
morning,  passed  Cape  St.  Lucas. 

At  io}4  o'clock,  the  Purser  again  conducted 
service.  With  a  splendid  voice  he  rushed 
along  at  high  speed,  changing  some  words 
and  riding  over  pauses  without  remorse.  In 
a  word,  he  "executed"  it.  He  Avas  very 
severe  upon  poor  old  Jacob. 

The  lesson  included  Gen.  50:  5,  where  he 
says  to  Joseph,  "  Lo,  I  die :  in  my  grave  which 
I  have  digged  for  me  in  the  land  of  Canaan, 
there  shalt  thou  bury  me."  He  obliterated 
the  colon  after  "  die,"  and  made  the  old  man 
say,  "  Lo,  I  die  in  my  grave  which  I  have 
digged  for  me,  &c."  It  was  painful  to  hear  a 
service,    so    profitable    when    devoutly    read. 


ON  THE  WAV.  45 

reduced  almost  to  comedy  by  the  heartless 
coldness  of  the  mere  actor. 

During  the  night  of  Jan.  7th,  we  arrived  off 
San  Diego.  This  is  one  of  the  regular  stop- 
ping places,  but  having  the  "  Costa  Rica"  in 
tow,  and  coal  sufficient  to  reach  San  Francisco, 
they  simply  lay  to,  fired  a  gun  and  sent  up 
rockets.  A  boat  came  off  and  exchanged 
despatches.  Next  morning  we  met  the  little 
steamer,  "Gipsy,"  bound  for  San  Diego.  She 
slightly  changed  her  course  and  stood  for  us. 
When  she  came  within  hailing  distance,  the 
following  conversation  passed: 

Capt.  Cavariy — "Do  you  Avant  anything?" 

Capt.  of '^  Gipsy'' — "No."  "Have  you  any 
word  to  send  to  San  Diego?" 

Cavariy — "  Tell  them  we  are  getting  along 
well." 

''Gipsy'' — "All  right." 

Cavariy — "  Had  they  heard  the  disaster  to 
the  'Costa  Rica?' " 

"Gipsy" — "Yes,  several  days  ago." 

Hats  were  wav^ed,  steam  was  let  on  again,  and 
soon  the  courteous  little  "Gipsy"  was  hidden 


4-6  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

behind  its  banner  of  black  smoke,  far  on  the 
horizon.  We  wondered  how  they  had  heard 
in  San  Francisco  of  the  accident  to  the  "  Costa 
Rica,"  and  were  informed  that  a  courier  had 
been  sent  from  Manzanillo  to  one  of  the 
interior  towns  of  Mexico;  that  the  despatch  had 
been  telegraphed  thence  to  New  Orleans, 
thence  to  New  York,  and  thence  to  San 
Francisco. 

We  were  now  running  within  from  ten  to 
twenty  miles  of  the  shore,  all  the  time.  The 
summits  of  some  of  the  mountains  were  lightly 
covered  with  snow.  The  thermometer  had 
changed  decidedly,  reaching  only  75°  at  mid- 
day, and  we  all  had  use  for  heavy  clothing 
again.  There  were  a  good  many  invalids  on 
board,  and  the  great  changes  in  temperature 
were  very  trying.  When  we  left  New  York, 
the  mercury  was  down  to  23°.  The  steam 
pipes  for  heating  the  main  saloon  were  all 
frozen  up,  and  ice  formed  on  the  wash  water 
in  our  state  rooms.  Overcoats  and  shawls 
were  kept  on  at  table  in  the  evening,- and 
piled  upon  the  berths  at  night.     Every  degree 


ON  THE  WAV.  47 

southward  reduced  the  quantity,  and  at  Aspin- 
wall  they  had  given  place  to  the  Hght  summer 
garb.  Every  day  on  the  Isthmus  an  umbrella 
was  needed  to  protect  the  head  from  the  burn- 
ing sun.  Now,  as  we  approached  San  Fran- 
cisco, the  winter  habiliments  came  forth  again. 

Below  Point  Conception  we  saw  the  first 
mirage.  It  was  very  perfect.  Though  no 
vessel  was  in  sight  upon  the  sea,  yet  off  our 
larboard  bow  was  a  schooner,  with  full  sails, 
apparently  suspended  in  the  air.  Later  in  the 
day,  we  saw  the  vessel  itself  by  direct  vision. 

At  noon,  on  Saturday,  Jan.  i  ith,  we  passed 
the  Seal  Rocks,  the  home  of  scores  of  seals. 
We  could  see  the  huge  fellows  dragging  them- 
selves about,  and  faintly  hear  their  mournful 
bellowing. 

Then  the  Golden  Gate  swung  open  before 
us,  the  hills  on  either  side  rising  five  or  six 
hundred  feet.  They  were  treeless  and  shrub- 
less,  but  just  bursting  into  splendid  verdure 
under  the  influence  of  the  winter  rains. 

Five  miles  through  the  channel,  past  two 
frowning  forts,  and  the  broad  bay  was  before 


48  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

US  with  its  islands,  shipping,  and  adjacent  city. 

The  "Costa  Rica"  was  anchored,  and  by 
three  o'clock  the  "  Constitution  "  was  made  fast 
at  her  wharf.  Thirty-one  days  and  two  hours 
from  New  York!     Distance,  5,227  miles. 

Happy  are  they  who  have  the  pri\qlege  of 
going  to  sea,  and  doubly  happy  they  who 
stand  on  solid  ground  again. 

When  the  voyage  begins,  a  handkerchief, 
waved  by  the  hand  of  a  friend  on  the  farthest 
point  of  the  last  pier,  throws  a  ray  of  light  that 
follows  across  several  seas.  When  the  vessel 
comes  into  the  long  desired  port,  friendly 
faces  in  the  expectant  throng  shed  light 
around,  and  make  the  voyager  at  once  at  home. 
So  will  it  be  when  the  voyage  of  life  ends. 


CHAPTER  II. 

SAN    FRANCISCO    TO    VISALIA. 

TX /"ITH  friends  in  San  Francisco  I  spent 
fi\-e  days.  It  rained  nearly  every  night, 
but  cleared  in  the  morning.  The  thermometer 
reached  70°  at  noon,  and  did  not  fall  below  45° 
at  night.  Grass  was  growing  and  flowers 
were  blooming  in  the  door-yards. 

I  had  expected  to  find  so  young  a  place,  like 
an  over-grown  youth — with  very  little  solidity 
— but  was  thoroughly  disappointed.  While 
in  some  parts  of  the  city  there  is  abundant 
food  for  fires,  the  central  and  business  por- 
tions equal  the  best  of  Chicago,  Philadel- 
phia, New  York,  or  Boston.  So  Avonderfully 
rapid  has  been  the  development  from  the 
passable  to  the  comfortable,  from  the  comfort- 
able to  the  good,  from  the  good  to  the  better, 
4    '  49 


50  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

and  from  the  better  to  the  best,  that  even 
Chicago  is  outdone.  Not  only  in  manufac- 
tories, stores,  banks,  and  hotels,  are  the  best 
found,  but  also  in  schools,  churches,  libraries, 
water  supply,  pavements,  street  cars,  police 
and  fire  departments,  the  people  have  taken 
advantage  of  what  could  be  learned  in  older 
cities  East,  and  in  various  respects  have  im- 
proved upon  them. 

The  city  government  has  some  difficult 
questions  with  which  to  deal.  Probably  the 
most  trying  is  the  Chinese  question.  By 
treaty,  China  is  open  to  Americans;  by  the 
same  treaty,  America  is  open  to  the  Chinese. 
We  go  there  by  scores.  They  come  here  by 
thousands.  San  Francisco  is  their  first  stop- 
ping place.  Whole  squares  are  occupied  by 
them  alone.  They  have  their  stores,  shops, 
saloons,  theatre,  and  joss  house  or  temple. 
From  here  they  spread  into  every  city,  town, 
village,  and  nook  in  the  State,  and  even  across 
the  mountains  into  eastern  cities.  Chicago, 
New  York,  Philadelphia,  and  Boston  are 
already  getting  a  sprinkling  of  them.     They 


SAX  FRANXISCO  TO  VISALIA.  5  I 

are  called  "heathen,"  and  are  said  to  be 
depraved  in  morals.  Throughout  the  State,  I 
found  a  majority  of  the  people  complaining 
bitterly  of  them.  They  eat  opium,  gamble, 
fight,  and  sometimes  kill  each  other.  Ameri- 
cans, Spaniards,  Irish  and  Germans  do  just 
the  same  things,  excepting  that  instead  of 
using  opium  they  drink  beer  and  whiskey. 

The  Chinese  sailors  and  waiters  on  the 
ship  were  the  most  orderly,  obliging,  pa- 
tient, and  faithful  fellows  that  could  be 
found.  The  only  bad  thing  I  knew  the 
waiters  to  be  guilty  of,  was  their  inability  to 
say  "curry  and  rice."  They  persisted  in  call- 
ing it  "cully  and  lice."  They  are  said  to  be 
incurable  thieves.  When  nearing  port,  our 
Steward  had  kindly  warned  me  not  to  leave 
any  little  articles  lying  about  my  state-room; 
for,  said  he,  "John  will  steal."  Contrary  to  ad- 
vice, I  risked  them,  and  "John"  took  not  even 
a  pin,  though  he  had  daily  care  of  room  and 
contents.  From  all  I  could  learn,  while  in  the 
State,  his  chief  crime  seems  to  be,  that  he  can 
live  on  rice  at  a  cost  of  about  ten  cents  per 


52  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE, 

day,  and  thus  save  money,  where  an  extrava- 
gant American  starves. 

I  was  in  San  Francisco,  on  a  subsequent 
occasion,  when  the  monthly  steamer  arrived 
from  China.  As  usual,  there  were  some  hun- 
dreds on  board.  After  being  subjected  to  a 
rigid  examination  by  the  Custom  House  offi- 
cers, they  were  taken  by  their  friends,  in  large 
express  wagons,  toward  the  Chinese  quarter. 
As  they  passed  through  one  of  the  principal 
streets,  the  boys  attacked  them  with  stones, 
and  some  rushed  up  to  the  wagons,  snatched 
articles  out  of  their  hands  and  bore  them  off 
in  triumph.  I  saw  another  crowd  following 
one  who  was  carrying  his  own  effects,  in  the 
usual  way,  in  two  large  baskets  slung  at  the 
ends  of  a  short  pole.  The  hoodlums  seized  hold 
of  his  baskets,  swung  them  around,  shoved 
him,  jumped  on  his  back,  and  finally  threw  him 
down  on  the  pavement.  Citizens  stood  and 
looked  on,  some  blaming  the  boys,  others 
cursing  the  long-cued  Celestial.  The  "hea- 
then" patiently  bore  it  all,  gathered  himself 
up  again,  and  quietly  went  on  his  way. 


SAN  FRANCISCO  TO  VISALIA.  53 

The  boys  were  only  doing  what  the  majority 
of  the  people  approved,  as  expressed  generally 
in  the  secular  and  Roman  Catholic  papers. 
While  heathen  Christendom  treats  them  thus, 
the  best  Christian  people  look  upon  them  as 
men  and  brothers,  whom  it  is  our  duty  to  treat 
respectfully,  and  if  possible  convert  from  the 
errors  of  their  ancient  superstitions.  And 
especially  so,  as  they  are  brought  to  our  shores 
in  our  own  ships.  The  Baptist,  Presbyterian, 
Congregational,  and  Methodist  churches  are 
doing  a  good  work  in  this  direction.  Rev. 
Otis  Gibson,  of  the  Methodist  church,  has  not 
only  nobly  and  strongly  defended  them  against 
the  public  storm,  but  he  and  his  helpers  are 
leading  some  of  them  to  Jesus. 

I  attended  a  service  in  the  mission  building, 
at  which  there  were  present  eleven  women 
and  thirteen  men,  members  of  the  church. 
One  of  their  number  preached.  His  manner 
was  cool,  earnest  and  dignified.  All  paid 
strict  attention.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gibson,  with  a 
mclodeon,  aided  the  singing,  and  all  joined  in 
heartily. 


54  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

Though  I  could  not  understand  the  form  of 
a  single  word,  to  feel  the  power  required  no 
human  interpreter. 

Later  in  the  day,  I  attended  a  public  service 
in  the  chapel  further  down  the  street.  The 
door  opens  on  a  level  with  the  pavement. 
Some  would  stop  at  the  door,  listen  a  few 
moments,  and  then  pass  on.  Others  slowly 
worked  their  way  in,  took  seats,  and  heard 
the  speaker  through.  The  room  was  filled. 
Several  native  helpers  delivered  short  ad- 
dresses, and  then  Mr.  Gibson  spoke,  also  in 
Chinese,  and  closed  the  service. 

While  there  are  among  them  fearful  evi- 
dences of  vice,  yet  to  one  visiting  their  stores 
and  shops  as  well  as  the  missions  and  schools, 
it  is  evident  that  they  are  both  as  capable  of 
conducting  business  and  of  being  Christians 
as  are  the  people  of  other  nations.  They  are 
a  wonderful  people.  With  their  light  bronze 
complexion,  almond  eyes,  long  cues,  curious 
dress,  clumsy  shoes,  inexhaustible  patience, 
genius  in  fancy  work,  heathen  religion,  infinite 
superstition,  and    vast    numbers,    they   are  a 


SAN  FRANCISCO  TO  VISALIA.  55 

curiosity,  a  mystery,  and  a  problem.  To  solve 
the  problem  "John,"  is  a  piece  of  work  that 
will  tax  all  the  earthly  wisdom  of  the  State, 
and  require  all  the  divine  influence  of  the 
Christian  church. 

On  Monday,  I  attended  the  Methodist 
Preachers'  meeting,  at  711  Mission  Street. 
In  a  little  upper  room,  there  were  present 
eleven  brethren.  So  small  a  number  to  sup- 
ply so  great  a  multitude,  reminded  one  of  the 
"five  loaves  and  few  small  fishes;"  but  I 
thought  of  the  time  when  there  were  only 
eleven  at  the  foundation  of  the  Christian 
Church.  And  these  men  were  of  the  same 
Apostolic  metal,  with  as  warm  hearts  and  as 
strong  hands  as  had  Peter,  and  James,  and 
John.  They  gave  reports  from  their  respec- 
tive charges,  related  personal  experience,  and 
considered  the  question  of  their  "Sunday 
Law." 

From  San  Francisco  to  Visalia  is  two  hun- 
dred and  thirty  miles.  By  ferry,  it  is  eight 
miles  across  the  bay  to  Oakland.  The  bay 
itself  is  a  magnificent  sheet  of  water,  about 


56  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

forty  miles  long,  with  a  maximum  breadth  of 
twelve  miles.  It  would  float  all  the  navies  of 
all  the  nations.  Oakland  is  growing  as  rapid- 
ly as  San  Francisco.  For  business,  the  latter 
will  naturally  and  necessarily  forever  hold  the 
first  place.  It  is  Boston,  New  York,  Phila- 
delphia, Baltimore  and  Charleston  all  concen- 
trated upon  one  spot.  But  the  former  will 
always  be  a  preferable  residence.  Its  summer 
comes  in  summer  time,  and  as  to  winter,  it 
scarcely  knows  what  it  is.  At  worst,  it  is  an 
April  in  the  middle  States.  The  summer  of 
San  Francisco  is  in  midwinter.  Its  summer 
winds  and  sand  storms  are  simply  terrible,  as 
I  found  a  few  months  later.  Furs  and  heavy 
winter  clothing  are  necessary  on  July  after- 
noons. Unless  so  protected,  those  damp 
ocean  winds  chill  you  to  the  very  marrow. 
In  Oakland  these  are  scarcely  felt,  their  force 
being  expended  before  reaching  the  eastern 
side  of  the  bay.  Then,  too,  the  city  is  em- 
bowered in  shrubbery  and  shaded  by  a  choice 
profusion  of  fruit  and  ornamental  trees.  Its 
churches,  schools,  and  handsome  residences. 


SAN  FRANCISCO  TO  VISALIA.  5/ 

would  lead  a  stranger  to  think  it  the  growth 
of  many  decades,  instead  of  a  single  score  of 
years. 

After  running  south-east  several  miles  along 
the  bay,  the  railroad  turns  eastward  through 
Livermore  Valley  and  Livermore  Pass.  Here 
were  evidences  of  the  strong  and  prevalent 
west  winds.  They  sweep  through  this  pass- 
age, as  do  waters  through  a  mountain  gorge. 
The  trees,  instead  of  growing  up  symmetri- 
cally, have  their  limbs  mainly  on  the  east 
side.  Some,  on  exposed  situations,  resemble 
a  flag-staff  and  flag  in  a  stiff  breeze. 

Having  left  San  Francisco,  at  4  P.  M.,  we 
reached  Lathrop  at  eight.  There  we  changed 
cars,  turned  southward  and  ran  up  the  broad 
valley  of  the  San  Joaquin.  We  saw  some 
fenced  farms  on  the  wide  plain,  and  occasion- 
ally, by  the  light  of  the  moon,  could  dimly 
distinguish  the  crest  of  the  Sierra  Nevadas, 
far  to  the  east. 

The  night  was  cold.  There  was  a  stove 
and  plenty  of  wood,  but  it  was  in  such  huge 
billets,  that  even  the  patience  of  the  Chinese 


58  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

brakeman,  could  not  prevail  on  it  to  burn. 
At  four  o'clock  next  morning,  we  had  reached 
Goshen.  In  a  half  hour,  the  drowsy  driver 
had  harnessed  up,  and  we  commenced  the 
short  stage  ride  of  seven  miles  to  Visalia. 
The  actual  distance  was  greatly  increased  by 
the  frequent  mudholes  into  which  we  plunged, 
and  the  horrible  corduroy  over  which  we  oc- 
casionally bounced. 

Some  of  the  passengers  got  sick.  A  stout 
sheep  dealer  thrust  his  head  from  the  window, 
and  paid  a  heavy  tribute.  My  own  recent  ex- 
perience at  sea,  now  exempted  me  from  fur- 
ther demands.  A  young  Dutchman  shut 
himself  up  like  a  jack-knife,  lay  on  the  front 
seat,  and  went  to  sleep.  But  he  soon  opened 
his  blades,  projected  them  in  various  direc- 
tions for  support,  and  then  snored  away  again. 

At  six,  the  driver's  shrill  horn  announced 
our  arrival  in  town.  A  hot  stove,  and  pres- 
ently, a  good  warm  breakfast  at  the  Visalia 
House,  effected  an  agreeable  change.  Later 
came  a  walk  through  town,  and  the  presenta- 
tion of  letters  of  introduction. 


SAN  FRANCISCO  TO  VISALIA.  59 

This  being  the  County  seat  of  Tulare 
County,  it  is  a  centre  of  interest,  for  a  large 
region  around.  The  streets  are  unpaved,  but 
wide,  and  cross  each  other  at  right  angles. 
The  stores  and  hotels  are  mostly  substantial 
brick  structures.  The  residences  are  generally 
frame,  and  many  of  them  are  models  of  taste 
and  comfort  combined.  Some  of  the  grounds 
are  handsomely  laid  out,  and  flowers  and  fruit 
trees  cluster  about  every  dwelling.  Through 
the  centre  of  the  town,  flows  a  branch  from 
the  Kaneah  River.  It  aids  an  engine  in  driv- 
ing a  mill,  and  affords  abundant  water  for 
irrigation.  There  are  four  churches,  Methodist 
Episcopal,  Baptist,  Presbyterian,  and  IMetho- 
dist  South.  Though  the  membership  is  small 
in  each,  yet  they  are  earnest  and  warm-hearted, 
and  at  various  times  I  spent  profitable  hours 
with  them  in  worship. 

I  remained  here  four  weeks,  boarding  awhile 
at  the  hotel,  and  then  with  the  excellent  family 
of  Mr.  D.  T.  Atwcll.  For  their  oft  repeated 
acts  of  kindness,  to  an  invalid  stranger  in  a 
strange  land,  they  will  not  lose  their  reward. 


6o  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

Before  I  left  Philadelphia,  a  friend  had  pre- 
sented me  a  gun.  In  honor  of  his  wife,  I 
named  it  "  Betsy."  Thus  far,  by  sea  and  land, 
she  had  been  my  companion,  though  as  yet 
of  no  service.  Here  I  began  to  Jiiint,  for  health. 
Hearing  that  small  game  was  plenty,  just  out- 
side of  town,  "Betsy"  and  I  went  out  to  ex- 
plore. 

Squirrels  were  said  to  be  plenty,  and  in  one 
of  the  first  fields  we  found  them ;  gray  ground- 
squirrels  !  A  half  dozen  scampered  from  the 
fence,  ran  to  their  mounds  out  in  the  open 
field,  sat  up  upon  their  haunches,  looked  at 
"Betsy"  and  me,  gave  a  little  bark,  and  then 
popped  into  the  adjoining  holes.  As  I  climbed 
into  the  field,  a  score  started  up  from  feeding 
in  the  low  grass  and  grain.  They  seemed  ex- 
cessively wild,  but  I  presently  got  within  rea- 
sonable range,  fired,  and  killed  the  first  one. 
Then  there  was  scampering  over  the  whole  field. 
To  say  there  were  hundreds  would  be  within 
truthful  limits.  Examining  my  game,  I  found 
him  to  be  about  the  same  weight  as  our  east- 
ern  gray  squirrel,  but  with  a  much   rougher 


SAX  FRANCISCO  TO  VISALIA.  6 1 

and  duller  coat,  shorter  body,  and  scarcely  half 
so  much  tail.  They  were  wholly  new  to  me, 
and  I  believe,  are  confined  to  this  coast. 
Their  numbers  are  so  great  and  their  voracity 
so  insatiable,  that  they  devour  whole  fields  of 
grain,  have  been  made  a  subject  of  State  legis- 
lation, and  declared  a  nuisance.  In  the  sum- 
mer they  get  very  fat,  and  when  not  too  old, 
are  good  eating. 

The  quail  were  abundant,  but  small  and 
hard  to  shoot.  They  kept  well  in  the  dense 
brush,  and  as  I  was  unpracticed  on  the  wing, 
I  wasted  no  shot.  I  found  afterward,  that 
there  are  two  species  of  quail  in  the  State,  viz : 
the  ordinar}',  and  the  "  Mountain  "  quail.  The 
last  are  a  third  larger  than  our  partridge,  and 
have  a  beautiful  black  plume,  about  three 
inches  long,  upon  their  heads.  They  are 
found  mainly  in  the  foot-hills  and  mountains. 
The  former  are  a  third  smaller  than  our  par- 
tridges, and  are  not  so  handsomely  marked, 
but,  what  adds  greatly  to  their  beauty,  they 
also  have  a  little  black  plume,  .about  an  inch 
long.     In  the   mountain   quail,  it   is  tapering 


62  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

and  floats  backward;  in  the  valley  quail,  the 
large  round  end  is  up,  and  it  curves  well  for- 
ward. 

The  choicest  game  was  the  rabbits,  or  "  cot- 
ton tails,"  as  they  are  called  there.  They  are 
about  two-thirds  the  size  of  our  eastern  rabbit, 
very  numerous  and  easily  shot. 

In  skinning  small  game,  I  learned  a  new  and 
interesting  lesson.  I  never  knew  before,  that 
they  were  dressed  in  "jacket "  and  "pantaloons," 
like  other  little  folks.  I  always  supposed  that 
their  skin  was  in  one  piece,  and  must  be  taken 
off  by  getting  some  one  to  hold  the  legs,  and 
then  tediously  working  the  whole  downward 
from  the  heels.  When  on  one  occasion  "  Betsy  " 
and  I  had  brought  in  four  rabbits,  Mrs.  Atwell 
taught  me  otherwise.  With  the  point  of  a 
knife  she  struck  the  division  between  the  upper 
and  nether  garments  in  the  middle  of  the  back, 
inserted  two  fingers,  pulled  in  opposite  direc- 
tions, and  presto!  there  was  the  jacket,  sleeves 
and  all;  there  the  pantaloons,  legs  and  all;  and 
there  the  divested  game!  The  whole  four 
were  skinned  in  that  many  minutes. 


SAN  FRANCISCO  TO  VISALIA.  63 

Beside  rabbits,  there  were  plenty  of  hare. 
They  are  familiarly  called  "jack  rabbits,"  on 
account  of  their  long  ears.  They  are  nearly 
twice  as  large  as  our  rabbits,  sometimes 
reaching  a  weight  of  ten  pounds.  On  one  oc- 
casion I  shot  three,  and  their  gravity  induced 
me  to  give  two  away  before  I  got  home. 
They  are  splendid  runners,  and  can  keep  out 
of  the  way  of  the  fleetest  dog.  When  raised, 
they  will  often  run  but  a  little  way,  and  then 
with  ears  erect,  sit  up  upon  their  haunches, 
and  make  observation.  Where  there  are  trees 
or  brush,  it  is  then  easy  to  creep  up  on  them 
and  use  shot.  At  long  range,  their  heads  are  a 
fine  target  for  the  rifle. 

Two  miles  north  of  the  town  is  a  strong 
branch  of  the  Kaweah  river,  flowing  westward 
toward  Tulare  Lake,  which  is  about  twenty 
miles  distant.  During  most  of  the  year,  how- 
ever, it  is  lost  in  the  sandy  plain  before  reach- 
ing the  lake.  On  this  stream,  were  a  few 
ducks.  I  succeeded  in  shooting  one  teal  and 
two  mallard.  There  were  said  to  be  fish,  too, 
but  a  half  day's  honest  effort  on  my  part  failed 


64  THE  GUX,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

to  educe  any  evidence  of  the  fact,  either  visible 
or  tangible.  Not  a  bite.  On  another  occa- 
sion, I  tried  them  in  a  little  slough  on  Mr. 
Atwell's  ranch.  To  dull  my  former  disap- 
pointment, I  caught  twenty-six.  It  must  be 
confessed,  however,  that  they  were  not  large. 
Proudly  carrying  my  scaly  success  back  to- 
ward the  town,  I  met  old  Capt.  Bailey.  He 
jocosely  asked  me  whether  I  was  going  "to 
supply  the  hands  on  the  new  railroad."  To 
make  a  correct  impression,  many  things  have 
to  be  weighed,  or  measured,  as  well  as  num- 
bered. At  Mr.  Atwell's  door  hung  a  spring 
balance.  The  fish,  with  the  osier  upon  which 
they  were  strung,  were  hung  upon  it.  The 
index  marked  one  pound  and  tJinc  qtimicrs! 
While  in  the  State,  I  took  care  not  to  relate 
that  fish  story  to  any  Californian  who  was 
capable  of  doing  me  an  injury. 

Large  portions  of  the  country  about  Visalia 
are  heavily  wooded,  mostly  with  black  oak. 
Some  of  the  trees  are  evidently  very  old,  and 
north    of  the   town    I  measured   one  of  the 


SAN  FRAXCISCO  TO  VISALIA.  65 

largest.     It  was  a  little  over  nineteen  feet  in 
circumference. 

But  the  chief  vegetable  curiosity  is  the 
misletoe.  It  flourishes  on  several  kinds  of 
trees,  but  chiefly  on  the  willow  and  cotton- 
v.'ood,  a  tree  slightly  resembling  our  silver 
maple.  This  curious  parasite  sometimes  ap- 
propriates the  whole  tree,  growing  out  of  ev^ery 
available  limb  and  branch.  Its  branches, 
which  are  more  like  coarse  vines  than  limbs, 
shoot  out  in  great  numbers  at  the  same  point, 
each  again  and  again  dividing  into  two.  The 
leaf  is  small,  thick,  smooth,  fleshy,  and  keeps 
yellowish  green  the  whole  year.  It  bears  a  fruit 
the  size  of  a  small  pea.  Each  contains  one  seed 
covered  with  a  glutinous  substance.  These 
are  scattered  from  tree  to  tree  by  the  birds, 
where  they  fix  themselves  to  the  bark,  begin 
to  grow,  and  tap  the  life  forces  of  the  tree. 
Many  trees  were  in  process  of  dying  from  its 
depredations,  and  many  skeletons  were  stand- 
ing, white,  bony,  and  bare,  as  evidences  of  its 
power.  In  those  cases,  of  course,  the  destroyer 
was  also  dead;  but  it  was  the  last  to  die. 
5 


66  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

Like  thieves,  gamblers,  rum  sellers,  and 
quacks,  the  parasites  upon  human  society, 
they  flourish  wholly  at  the  expense  of  the 
victim,  and  give  up  only  when  the  victim  is 
dead. 

During  this  time  there  were  frequent  rains 
and  considerable  variation  of  temperature. 
On  Monday,  Jan.  20th,  the  thermometer  at 
noon  reached  75°.  On  the  21st,  70°.  On  the 
29th,  there  was  a  stiff  white  frost,  and  the 
thermometer  rose  only  to  58°  at  noon. 

But  while  the  water  fell  as  rain  at  Visalia, 
it  came  down  as  snow  upon  the  mountains  and 
foot-hills,  the  nearest  of  which  were  twenty 
miles  away.  They  seemed  to  be  less  than  five. 
From  the  first  foot-hills  to  the  summit  of  the 
highest  Sierra  Nevadas  it  was  said  to  be  twenty 
or  thirty  miles  more;  and  yet  those  snow- 
covered  peaks,  glistening  in  the  sun,  appeared 
to  be  within  a  few  hours'  walk.  Those  moun- 
tains are  a  sight  of  which  one  never  wearies. 
The  dusky  outline  in  the  early  morning;  the 
crest  of  fire  when  the  sun  first  rises;  the  ever- 
green   of    the   pine,    and    fir,    and    redwood, 


SAN    FRANCISCO    TO    VISALIA.  6/ 

mingled  with  the  snow;  the  abrupt  cliff,  the 
jagged  edge,  and  the  lofty  pinnacle,  with  their 
shades  and  shadows,  mov^ing  and  changing 
with  the  journeying  sun;  in  the  evening, 
the  fading  out  of  those  fine  colors,  and  the 
swift*  change  from  burnished  silver  to  dull 
marble,  and  from  dull  marble  to  bronze,  and 
from  bronze  to  iron — these  are  a  daily  exhi- 
bition worth  more  than  any  expressible  money 
value. 

I  once  timed  the  transformation  from  the 
moment  I  could  last  see  the  sun  at  Visalia.  In  a 
minute,  the  shadow  struck  the  lowest  foot-hills, 
then  climbed  from  the  lower  to  the  higher 
hills,  step  by  step,  backward,  upward,  deepen- 
ing the  darkjiess  in  the  already  shady  canyon, 
drawing  a  vail  from  ridge  to  ridge,  enfold- 
ing evergreen  and  snow,  pinnacle  and  cliff, 
steadily,  visibly,  until,  in  just  twelve  minutes, 
the  last  light  lifted  from  the  highest  peak,  and 
sombre  night  was  seated  on  her  ebon  throne. 

Looking  at  those  mountains  creates  a  desire 
to  be  among  them.  They  are  so  great  and 
noble,  that  you   aspire   to   their  company.     I 


68  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLi:. 

fortunately  learned  of  a  yountj  man,  five  miles 
from  town,  who  had  a  ranch  up  there,  to 
which  he  intended  going  as  soon  as  the  snow 
sufficiently  melted.  An  invalid,  himself,  he 
wished  company.  I  went  out  to  see  him. 
The  opportunity  appeared  to  be  what  I  wanted. 
I  could  work  some  for  my  board,  and  hunt  as 
much  as  I  wished.  I  agreed  to  go,  purchased 
three  heavy  blankets,  a  few  things  necessary 
for  camp-life,  and  packed  my  valise  with  food 
for  "  Betsy."  Having  two  mouths  of  number 
eleven  size,  she  was  expected  to  be  a  liberal 
eater. 


CHAPTER  III. 

AMONG  THE  SIERRAS GROUSE  VALLEY. 

TXT'E  set  out  at  noon  on  February  nth. 
There  were  three  of  us:  Mr.  Swanson, 
whom  all  called  "  Doc,"  Burton,  his  brother, 
a  boy  of  sixteen,  and  myself  We  had  one 
saddle-horse,  and  three  hitched  to  a  Jackson 
wagon,  with  high  seat  in  front,  mounted  on 
springs.  In  the  wagon  were  seventeen  hun- 
dred pounds  of  freight,  viz:  wheat,  barley, 
potatoes,  a  few  articles  of  furniture  and  farm- 
ing implements,  sugar,  coffee,  tea,  salt,  soap, 
dried  fruit,  a  little  salt  pork  for  a  pinch  when 
game  might  fail,  a  keg  of  syrup,  blankets, 
plenty  of  heavy  woolen  clothing.  Doc's  old 
rifle,  "Tom,"  "Betsy,"  plenty  of  ammunition, 
and  a  keg  of  whiskey.  Doc  was  untlcr  medi- 
cal treatment,  and  the  last   article  was  in  his 

physician's  jjrescription. 

69 


70  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

As  we  rolled  out  eastward,  over  the  plain, 
on  the  south  side  of  the  Kaweah  River,  our 
road  winding  among  the  large  oaks  and  cot- 
ton-woods, which  in  some  places  ventured  to 
grow  a  mile  from  the  water,  the  afternoon 
sun  shone  bright  upon  the  green  foot-hills  and 
snow-covered  mountains.  There,  before  us, 
lay  a  mighty  panorama  of  mountain  masses, 
as  various  as  you  see  the  clouds  in  the  sky, 
rising  toward  heaven  more  than  two  miles, 
and  extending  along  the  horizon  a  full  hun- 
dred. Had  they  been  carved  out  of  ivory, 
and  set  with  emerald,  they  could  not  have  been 
more  beautiful. 

As  we  got  through  the  heavy  timber,  and 
when  the  open  plain  spread  before  us,  the  hills 
seemed  to  recede.  There  were  scattered  trees 
and  occasional  houses  and  sheds  of  the  ranch- 
ers. A  little  way  from  the  road,  some  flocks 
of  wild  ducks  swam  upon  a  pond.  Burton 
was  riding  the  saddle-horse.  I  gave  him 
"  Betsy."  He  rode  over,  dismounted,  crept 
along  an  old  ditch,  got  into  range,  fired  into  a 
line  o^six,  and  soon  came  galloping  after  us, 


AMONG  THE  SIERRAS GROUSE  VALLEY.      /I 

with  five  of  the  beautiful  birds  dangling  to  his 
saddle. 

In  the  evening,  we  reached  the  foot  hills, 
and  put  up  at  Duncan's  ranch.  Next  morning, 
Mr.  Duncan,  with  two  extra  horses,  helped  us 
up  the  first  hill.  There  was  as  good  driving 
and  pulling  done  as  I  ever  saw.  Up,  upward, 
and  still  upward,  hill  upon  hill.  I  never  be- 
fore realized  the  wealth  of  the  upper  world  in 
unlimited  sky  room.  By  noon,  we  had  made 
six  miles.  We  left  seven  hundred  pounds  of 
freight  at  Jordan's,  made  four  miles  more,  and 
put  up  at  Carter's  ranch.  We  were  about 
three  thousand  feet  above  tide. 

In  the  morning,  there  were  strong  indica- 
tions of  rain.  Heavy  masses  of  cloud  hung 
upon  the  surrounding  mountain  tops.  We 
set  out,  however,  and  soon  reached  a  hill,  that 
in  any  other  place  would  be  called  a  mountain. 
Before  we  reached  the  top,  the  mist  and  rain 
had  turned  to  snow.  Covered  with  my  gum 
blanket,  I  rode  ahead  with  the  shovel,  to  try 
the  dangerous  places  and  repair  the  road.  At 
eleven   o'clock,  we   reached  the  cabin  of  Mr, 


72  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADIM.i:. 

Cahoon,  a  hunter,  where  we  received  a  hearty 
welcome,  gathered  around  a  rousing  fire,  and 
had  for  dinner,  plenty  of  fried  venison,  good 
bread  and  hominy.  That  was  one  of  the 
brightest  fires  and  best  dinners  I  ever  enjoyed. 
The  snow  covered  the  ground,  and  we  stopped 
for  the  night.  Rumbo,  our  good  dog,  enter- 
tained himself  handsomely  on  the  numerous 
deer  carcasses  that  lay  about  the  cabin. 

Next  day  the  sun  shone.  We  had  yet  four 
miles,  over  the  Black  Hill  and  do\\n  into 
Grouse  Valley,  and  we  were  at  our  journey's 
end.  Before  it  was  reached,  however,  we  had 
to  drag  through  snow  a  foot  deep.  In  the 
valley  there  was  none.  We  got  there  about 
noon.  The  cabin  was  twelve  feet  square, 
roofed  and  sided  with  clap-boards,  split  from  a 
pine  log,  having  a  wavy  grain.  Hence,  while 
the  protection  from  rain  was  complete,  there 
were  numerous  and  ample  cracks  for  ventila- 
tion. A  stone  fire-place  and  chimney,  at  one 
side,  served  at  once  for  fire  to  cook  our  victuals 
and  to  warm  the  house.  We  had  plenty  of  plain 
food,  a  good  supply  of  cooking  utensils,  con- 


AMONG  THE  SIERRAS GROUSE  VALLEY.      73 

siderable  skill  in  their  use,  a  breakfast  table 
with  falling  leaves  and  oil-cloth  cover,  and 
appetites  to  clear  it  of  any  reasonable  amount 
that  came  upon  it. 

Bunks  three  feet  wide,  and  two  feet  from  the 
ground,  with  their  clap-board  bottoms,  were 
our  beds.  Upon  the  boards  a  bear  skin,  upon 
that  a  straw  tick,  and  then  all  the  blankets 
you  had.  You  sandwiched  yourself  between 
them,  higher  up  or  lower  down,  according  to 
the  varying  temperature.  With  no  garret,  no 
up  stairs,  no  cellar,  no  floor  and  no  ceiling,  the 
trouble  of  house  cleaning  was  reduced  to  a 
minimum.  A  daily  application  of  the  broom 
to  the  earth,  was  the  extent  of  the  necessity. 
With  such  simple  surroundings,  the  happy 
occupant  is  more  than  a  match  for  an  imper- 
tinent "Bridget." 

The  valley  is  a  gem  of  beauty,  about  four 
thousand  feet  above  the  sea,  containing  pro- 
bably five  hundred  acres  of  tillable  land, 
several  thousand  of  good  stock  range,  and  is 
surrounded  by  mountains  from  one  to  t^\"o 
thousand  feet  high.     .Some  of  these  are  cov- 


74  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

ered  with  oak,  manzanita,  and  chaparral; 
others  with  pine,  cedar,  and  fir.  Some  excel- 
lent springs  furnish  abundant  water.  There 
were  no  trout  in  the  streams,  and  I  thought  it 
was  no  wonder  they  had  not  yet  got  up  there, 
if  the  Mosaic  Chronology  is  correct. 

Quail  were  abundant,  a  few  rabbits  and 
hare,  plenty  of  foxes  and  wild  cats,  squirrels 
and  grouse  high  up  among  the  pines,  an  oc- 
casional panther,  and  a  good  many  deer. 
Owing  to  the  scarcity  of  acorns,  the  bears  had 
withdrawn  southward,  the  previous  fall. 

We  got  into  the  valley  on  Friday,  February 
14th.  On  Saturday  morning,  the  thermometer 
was  down  to  34°.  On  Sunday  afternoon,  it 
began  to  snow  and  blow.  The  mercury  fell 
to  32°.  At  7,  P.  M.,  the  snow  was  five  inches 
deep.  We  got  in  wood  and  prepared  for  a 
rough  night.  The  snow  drifted  in  and 
sprinkled  floor  and  bunks.  It  looked  un- 
healthy for  invalids.  At  six,  next  morning,  the 
thermometer  marked  23°.  The  snow  was 
eight  inches  deep.  An  inch  of  ice  covered  the 
water  in  our  pail    on  the    table,  and  all    the 


AMONG  THE  SIERRAS GROUSE  VALLEV.      75 

potatoes  in  the  sack,  at  the  head  of  m}-  bunk, 
were  frozen  solid.  But  it  cleared  off  beauti- 
fully. We  were  in  the  midst  of  the  ivory 
splendor  visible  from  Visalia.  Well  booted, 
I  took  "  Betsy,"  and  made  a  successful  attack 
upon  the  quail.  At  noon,  the  thermometer 
rose  to  49°. 

Mr.  Cahoon,  the  hunter,  had  given  me  an 
invitation  to  come  down  and  go  with  him  on 
a  hunt. 

The  low  temperature  and  deep  snow,  up 
there,  confirmed  me  in  the  belief  that  I  had 
better  accept. 

I  walked  down  on  Wednesday  afternoon, 
and  fortunately  for  me,  a  stray  horse  had 
broken  the  trail  through  the  foot  and  half  of 
snow  that  lay  on  the  intervening  mountain. 
Mr.  Cahoon  came  in,  having  killed  two  deer. 
Next  morning,  he  brought  them  home,  and  in 
the  afternoon,  I  went  with  him  to  follow  three 
others,  whose  tracks  he  had  seen  near  camp. 
There  was  no  snow,  excepting  two  or  three 
inches  on  shaded  north  hill  sides,  Cahoon's 


76  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

being  about  a  thousand  feet  lower  than  Grouse 
Valley. 

It  was  exciting  business,  especially  as  we 
crept  through  the  chaparral,  where  we  found 
on  the  brush,  that  raked  our  own  backs,  the 
hair  fresh  from  theirs.  It  is  amazing  what  low, 
narrow  places  they  could  go  through !  The 
best  we  could  sometimes  do  was  to  lay  our 
guns  on  the  ground,  turn  quadruped  of  the 
Saurian  genus,  and  worm  through  after  them. 
Thus,  over  hills,  down  into  ravines,  around 
steep  hill  sides,  on  and  on,  three  miles.  Still 
they  were  ahead  of  us,  and  out  of  sight. 

A  fresh  deer  track  gathers  about  it  much  of 
interest.  In  itself,  it  is  beautiful.  The  delicate 
point  of  the  toe,  the  graceful  curve  of  the  side 
and  heel,  indicate  the  work  of  an  artist.  As  the 
beautiful  curves  in  the  form  of  a  capital  letter, 
made  by  a  skillful  penman,  are  readily  known 
not  to  be  the  work  of  a  heavy  handed  writer, 
so  the  track  of  a  deer  is  easily  distinguished 
from  that  of  a  pig  or  sheep.  You  know  it  to 
be  the  track  of  an  animal  which,  though  it  has 
no  wingi,  yet  royally  disdains  the  ground  upon 


AMONG  THE  SIERRAS GROUSE  VALLEV.      JJ 

which  it  treads.  Then,  too,  a  fresh  tracic 
means  a  live  deer  not  far  off  In  a  moment, 
you  may  be  upon  him.  And  to  kill  a  deer,  a 
real  live  deer  in  the  woods!  A  cart  load  of 
quail,  or  a  boat  load  of  ducks  is  poor  in  com- 
parison. Further,  to  a  hungry  hunter,  it 
means  meat.  To  him,  "  meat  is  the  staff  of 
life."  And  closely  associated  with  those 
tracks  are  shoulders,  and  hams,  and  sirloin! 
His  gun  gets  impatient,  his  knife  is  hot  and 
bloody.  In  imagination  a  tender-loin  hisses 
upon  the  coals !  Like  Job's  horse,  "  he 
smelleth  the  battle  from  afar."  But  very  un- 
like Job's  horse,  I  got  exceedingly  tired  and 
returned  to  camp.  Mr.  Cahoon  went  a  mile 
further,  and  gave  up  the  chase. 

Next  day,  while  he  prepared  grub  for  a  five 
or  six  days'  hunt,  I  went  down  to  the  Kaweah, 
at  the  nearest  point,  and  saw  many  tracks,  but 
no  game.  I  could  doubtless  have  killed 
several  deer  had  they  only  stood  long  enough 
in  those  tracks !  Returning  up  that  fearful 
hill,  I  counted  the  paces  from  the  river  to 
camp — four  thousand  nine  hundred  and  forty: 


78  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

rising  in  the  two  miles  and  two  hours  about 
one  thousand  nine  hundred  feet. 

At  7.50,  on  Saturday  morning,  we  set  out  for 
the  lower  foot-hills  along  the  Kaweah.  As 
this  was  an  average  expedition,  and  really  my 
first  good  lesson  in  hunting,  I  will  give  some 
details.  Cahoon's  rifle  was  a  three -barrelled 
revolver;  the  three  cast-steel  barrels  being  put 
together  in  the  form  of  a  triangle,  and  having 
one  lock.  It  carried  seventy  round,  or  thirty- 
five  minie  balls  to  the  pound.  He  almost 
invariably  used  the  minie. 

Not  expecting  to  go  on  a  long  hunt,  I  had 
brought  down  only  fourteen  rounds  of  buck 
shot  and  ball.  I  told  him  I  thought  it  was 
not  enough  for  six  days.  His  reply  I  shall 
never  forget — "If  you  have  good  luck,  it's 
plenty,  if  not,  it's  too  much." 

We  had  five  horses,  two  under  saddle  and 
three  with  packs.  The  bell,  on  old  "Sallie," 
the  bell-mare,  was  muffled.  Her  yearling  colt, 
"  Kitty,"  sported  from  side  to  side  along  the 
trail.  Mr.  Cahoon  led  the  van,  the  three 
pack-horses  followed,  and  I  brought  up  the 


AMONG  THE  SIERRAS GROUSE  VALLEY.       /Q 

rear.  It  was  a  bright  morning,  and  as  we  de- 
scended toward  the  river,  the  snow  wholly  dis- 
appeared. The  leaves  were  out  on  the  buck- 
eye bushes,  the  grass  and  wild  flowers  were 
peeping  through  the  pulverized  granite  soil, 
and  far  below  us,  through  the  principal  canyon, 
among  the  live  oaks  and  boulders,  the  river 
wound  its  way  westward  and  downward  to- 
ward the  plain. 

By  the  morning  breeze,  already  setting  in 
from  the  west,  the  music  it  made  was  borne 
even  up  to  us,  and  far  over  the  hills.  Most  of 
the  trail  was  good,  some  of  it  poor  enough, 
and  a  small  portion  miserably  bad.  Indeed, 
in  some  places,  there  was  none  at  all. 

We  dismounted,  led  our  saddle-horses,  and 
had  to  drive  the  trembling  pack-brutes  over 
some  slippery  rocks. 

Passing  through  a  flat,  among  large  timber 
and  brush,  Gaboon  suddenly  dropped  his 
lead-rope,  ran  forward,  raised  his  gun,  lowered 
it,  ran  around  a  clump  of  brush,  and  presently 
returned,  saying,  "  I  ought  to  be  kicked,  for  not 
killing  that  deer!" 


80  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

Being  at  the  rear  of  our  little  caravan,  I  had 
not  even  seen  it.  But  now  our  march  became 
exciting.  Down  another  mountain  side, 
through  another  flat,  and  he  repeated  the 
movement.  This  time,  he  advanced  further 
behind  the  brush.  Bang!  bang!  bang!  While 
the  triple  report  was  reverberating  among  the 
mountains,  I  reined  up,  tied  my  horse  and 
the  old  bell-mare,  threw  off  my  coat,  and  ran 
forward  with  "Betsy"  to  see  the  battle.  A 
deer,  with  its  hind  leg  broken,  was  running  up 
over  a  high  rocky  ridge.  Thinking  my 
capacity  equal  to  the  capture  of  a  cripple,  I 
started  in  pursuit,  while  Cahoon  was  re- 
loading. Passing  around  a  clump  of  chap- 
arral I  heard  a  rustle  and  saw  a  line  of  bushes 
shaking,  and  then  away  below,  a  bounding 
deer  emerged,  crossed  the  brook,  and  sped 
up  the  opposite  hill-side,  pausing  to  look 
round  when  three  hundred  yards  away,  then 
off  to  the  mountain. 

Cahoon  had  shot  one  dead,  and  after  re- 
loading, followed  an  uninjured  one  around  the 
hill   side.     When    I    reached  the  summit,  in 


AMONG  THE  SIERRAS GROUSE  VALLEY.      8  I 

pursuit  of  the  wounded  one,  his  gun  roared 
again.  Looking  down,  I  saw  another  jumping 
around  with  both  fore-legs  shot  off.  When  he 
had  cut  its  throat,  he,  too,  came  to  hunt  the 
track  of  the  wounded  one.  We  got  separated. 
I  found  the  track  first,  and  followed  it  down  the 
hill  a  half  mile  to  the  river  bed.  There  it 
seemed  to  disappear,  but  after  a  long  search, 
I  found  the  track  and  a  puddle  of  blood  among 
the  sand  and  boulders.  Sure  of  soon  finding 
and  killing  the  poor  beast,  I  pursued.  The 
boulders  rattled.  I  looked  up,  and  there  it  ran, 
eighty  yards  away,  and  was  instantly  behind 
a  bank.  It  was  soon  in  a  perfect  jungle  of 
brush,  briers,  and  live  oaks.  I  followed  with 
care,  and  heard  it  three  times,  but  it  always 
kept  out  of  sight.  Passing  out  to  clear  ground, 
I  went  around  and  beyond  to  head  it  off; 
returning  through  the  thicket  I  missed  it,  and 
getting  back  to  my  former  track,  I  saw  the 
nail-print  of  Gaboon's  shoe.  He  ^\'as  now  in 
ahead  of  me.  In  a  minute  I  heard  the  report 
of  his  rifle,  went  out  again  to  clear  ground, 
followed  him  toward  the  base  of  the  hill,  and 
6 


82  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

was  in  time  to  see  him  cut  its  thi«oat.  He  had 
shot  it  through  the  back,  as  it  ran,  at  about  one 
hundred  and  fifty  yards.  Having  taken  out 
the  entrails  and  cut  off  the  head,  he  hung  it 
by  the  neck  on  a  tree,  about  three  feet  clear  of 
the  ground.  We  then  went  back  and  treated 
the  other  two  in  the  same  way,  returned  to 
our  horses,  went  two  miles  further  down  the 
river,  forded  it,  and  took  possession  of  a 
deserted  shepherd's  cabin,  on  the  north  bank. 
It  was  3  o'clock.  We  prepared  and  enjoyed 
a  hearty  dinner.  Cahoon  took  the  horses  a 
mile  and  a  half  up  a  side  canyon,  hobbled  two, 
left  them,  and  looked  for  game.  I  fixed  up 
the  cabin,  prepared  wood,  rigged  my  fishing 
tackle  and  tried  the  fish.  Night  came,  Cahoon 
returned  gameless,  and  I  without  so  much  as 
a  nibble. 

The  night  was  beautiful,  and  in  the  music 
made  by  the  river,  there  was  a  witchery  that 
charmed  me  for  hours.  The  bed  of  the 
Kaweah  is  exceedingly  rough,  and  the  descent 
toward  the  plain  very  rapid.  Analyzing  the 
noise  made  by  the  rushing  waters,  though  it 


AMONG  THE  SIERRAS GROUSE  VALLEY.      8^ 

was  not  loud,  yet  in  it  I  could  detect  all  the 
sounds  I  had  ever  heard:  the  roar  of  distant 
thunder,  the  boom  of  artillery,  the  blast  of  the 
bugle,  the  shrill  note  of  the  fife,  the  roll  of  the 
drum,  the  clang  of  the  gong,  the  ringing  of 
bells,  the  full  tones  of  the  organ,  the  twitter  of 
birds,  the  scream  of  wild  beasts,  the  melody 
of  sacred  music,  the  vocal  gymnastics  of  the 
opera,  the  solemn  wail  of  the  winds  among  the 
mountain  pines,  and  the  confused  noises  of  the 
city.  I  had  heard  the  music  of  other  streams, 
the  thunder  of  Niagara,  the  dash  and  roar  of 
the  ocean  in  a  storm,  both  far  from  land  and 
on  the  beach  and  rock-bound  coast,  but  none 
of  them  equaled  in  variety  those  night  sounds 
of  the  Kaweah.  It  was  God's  orchestra  among 
the  mountains. 

Sabbath  morning  came  bright.  Gaboon 
put  up  a  lunch  and  went  hunting.  I  got  a 
horse  and  went  four  miles  down  the  river,  to 
Duncan's  ranch,  for  my  mail.  There  was  no 
religious  service  within  reach;  but  the  letters 
I  received,  from  loved  ones  far  a\va\",  were  as 
long  as  a  sermon   ought  to  be,  and  to    me, 


84  THE  GUX,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

much  more  refreshing  than  many  I  have  read. 
"As  cold  waters  to  a  thirsty  soul,  so  is  good 
news  from  a  far  country." 

As  ought  to  be  expected  from  Sunday  hunt- 
ing, Cahoon  returned  in  the  evening,  without 
game.  He  had  seen  some  signs  of  deer,  but 
thought  we  were  too  far  down,  and  concluded 
to  return  a  few  miles  in  the  morning. 

Monday  came,  and  with  it  clouds  and  rain. 
However,  we  packed  up  and  went  back,  near 
where  he  had  killed  the  deer  on  Saturday. 
Here  there  is  a  wide  flat,  and  the  north  and 
south  forks  of  the  Kaweah  unite.  A  deserted 
adobe  house  stood  just  below  the  fork.  The 
doors  and  windows  were  boarded  up  and 
secured  with  ropes  and  nails.  The  heavy 
storm-clouds  were  trailing  white  robes  of  snow 
over  the  surrounding  mountain  tops.  Just  as 
we  reached  the  adobe,  they  came  down  upon 
us  in  torrents  of  rain.  A  knife  and  a  moment 
served  Cahoon  to  sever  a  rope,  push  back  an 
old  table,  and  prostrate  a  rude  door.  We 
were  at  once  under  roof  and  obligation  to  the 
builder.     A  jilank   floor,  an  old   table,  and  a 


AMONG  THE  SIERRAS GROUSE  VALLEY.      85 

fireplace  were  the  luxuries  of  the  inside.  The 
earthquakes  had  cracked  and  thrown  the  walls 
out  of  plumb,  yet  it  served  our  purpose  bet- 
ter than  a  palace.  The  horses  were  turned 
loose  to  graze.  We  unpacked  our  boxes,  and 
prepared  to  make  ourselves  at  home. 

To  those  fond  of  minutiae,  the  contents  of 
our  packs  would  be  of  interest.  As  trifles  are 
the  most  of  life,  and  always  necessary  to  com- 
plete a  picture,  I  will  empty  them  out.  Here 
are  the  contents:  seven  loaves  of  graham 
bread,  one  corn  bread,  some  choice  slices  of 
venison,  and  a  can  of  venison  tallow  in  which 
to  fry  them ;  frying  pan,  half  peck  of  potatoes, 
three  quarts  cooked  hominy,  small  box  each 
of  tea,  pepper,  and  salt.  Coffee  pot  and  small 
bag  of  ground  coffee.  An  axe,  two  iron 
spoons,  whetstone,  spring  balance,  gun  fixtures 
and  ammunition,  towels  and  soap.  Knives  we 
carried.  For  plates  we  used  pieces  of  bread,  and 
saved  washing  by  eating  them.  Over  the  raw- 
hide boxes  containing  these  things,  were  tied 
a  tent  and  two  large  bear  skins.  Our  blankets 
were   under   the  saddles.     Thus  we  were  in 


86  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

want  of  no  necessaries,  and  for  luxuries  we 
had  no  use. 

In  the  afternoon  it  cleared.  We  went  out 
to  hunt.  Cahoon  killed  another  deer.  I  did 
not  see  even  a  track. 

On  Tuesday,  we  took  a  lunch,  crossed  the 
south  fork,  and  went  up  into  the  mountains. 
I  found  a  fresh  track,  and  followed  it  a  long 
distance,  got  up  among  the  snow-clouds,  and 
saw  how  snow  and  rain  are  made,  but  saw  no 
game.  I  got  also  among  the  poison  oak, 
"rhus  toxicodendron,"  not  yet  knowing  which 
shrub  was  it.  I  learned,  however,  for  it  poi- 
soned me  severely.  To  add  to  my  discomfort, 
my  boots  ran  crooked,  travelling  along  the 
oozey  hill-sides.  While  wearily  trudging  toward 
camp,  I  saw  a  lone  wild  pigeon,  fired  at  it  a 
load  of  buck-shot  and  missed  it.  Tired  and 
hungry,  I  got  back  to  camp  at  five  o'clock,  and 
concluded  that  hunting  for  health  in  that  kind 
of  style  would  not  likely  prove  successful.  A 
half-hour  later,  Cahoon  came  in,  having  fired  at 
deer  thirteen  times  and  killed  one.  The  mist 
and    rain    obstructed  the  sig-hts   on  his  rifle. 


AMONG  THE  SIERRAS GROUSE  VALLEY.      8/ 

On  Wednesday,  I  tried  the  fish  again,  and 
caught  one  poor  Httle  sucker.  Then  the  quail 
— "  Betsy"  was  at  home  among  them.  Cahoon 
killed  another  deer.  On  Thursday,  I  hunted 
for  health  about  camp,  by  chopping  down  an 
oak.  There  was  an  abundance  of  red-wood 
brought  down  by  the  flood,  but  it  popped  so 
badly  that  we  could  not  safely  use  it.  It  per- 
sisted in  firing  the  floor  by  day,  and  burning 
holes  in  our  blankets  at  night.  Cahoon 
crossed  the  north  fork,  and  returned  by  ^y^ 
o'clock,  with  four  deer.  He  had  seen  nine- 
teen. In  the  evening  he  packed  in  the  others, 
and  skinned  out  and  cut  up  six  of  the  ten. 
There  is  no  division  between  the  jacket  and 
pantaloons  of  a  deer.  He  took  them  off  in 
one  piece,  but  so  quick!)-,  that  it  reminded 
me  of  Mrs.  Atwell  skinning  the  rabbits.  On 
Friday  morning,  we  packed  up.  Our  bread, 
potatoes  and  hominy  were  gone;  but  the  ten 
deer  made  a  load  f^r  the  three  pack-horses. 
We  got  back  to  the  cabin  at  two  o'clock. 
Though  luckless  myself,  I  had  seen  liow  it  was 
done,  and  knew  thoroughh'  hov.'  ///V  to  do  it. 


88  THE  GUX,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

I  saw  that  hunting  was  an  art,  and  that  it  re- 
quired, in  its  practice,  more  muscle  and  better 
boots  than  I  was  possessed  of.  I  had  learned 
also  to  know  that  detestable  shrub,  "poison 
oak."  Until  I  got  relief,  by  using  a  solution 
of  borax,  I  patiently  scratched  my  burning 
skin,  and  quietly  anathematized  both  root  and 
branch  of  the  miserable  vegetable.  To  aggra- 
vate the  annoyance,  Mr.  Cahoon  handled  it 
with  impunity,  and  the  horse  I  rode  would 
steal  two  steps  out  of  the  trail  to  nip  it.  A 
month  later,  there  was  a  severe  frost,  and  my 
heart  was  made  glad  by  seeing  its  brilliant 
green  leaves  turn  black  and  die.  It  may  be 
good  as  a  medicine,  but  it  is  far  from  agree- 
able in  general  application. 

When  I  got  back  to  Grouse  Valley  the 
snow  had  disappeared,  and  we  w^ent  to  work 
clearing  and  plowing  ground.  I  took  hold 
of  the  mattock  and  developed  muscle,  grub- 
bing wild  cherry  and  wild  plum  bushes.  We 
plowed  about  six  acres,  and  sowed  with  wheat 
and  barley.  To  protect  from  stock,  we  then 
built  a  fence  around  about  twelve  acres.    This, 


AMONG  THE  SIERRAS GROUSE  VALLEY.      89 

with  intervals  of  hunting,  reading  and  writing, 
washing  and  mending  (it  took  a  good  deal  of 
both),  filled  pleasantly  up  the  next  six  weeks. 
During  this  time,  there  was  another  phase 
of  hunting  for  health,  that  would  not  be  re- 
commended by  medical  men.  Rumbo  was 
fond  of  treeing  foxes  and  wild  cats.  The 
former  running  up  a  tree,  was  to  me  a  matter 
of  curiosity.  This  "treeing"  never  occurred 
by  day,  but  at  all  hours  of  the  night,  at  vari- 
ous distances  from  camp,  and  generally  in 
very  rough  places.  But  sleep  forsook  ni}' 
eyes  and  slumber  my  eyelids,  whenever  I 
heard  Rumbo  bark.  Several  times,  between 
the  hours  of  eleven  and  two,  I  got  up,  took 
"Betsy,"  apiece  of  candle,  matches,  and  a  thin 
bundle  of  long  pine  splints  for  a  torch,  and 
tramped  a  devious  way  over  hill,  across  ravine, 
among  rocks  and  brush,  sometimes  compelled 
to  creep  upon  hands  and  knees,  beneath  the 
chaparral.  To  find  the  baying  dog  and  the 
tree  was  comparatively  easy.  Sometimes 
equally  so,  to  see  and  shoot  the  fox.  But  it 
often  happened  that  the  tree  was  a  thick  live- 


go  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

oak,  and  oftener,  that  the  fox  had  gone.  He 
would  run  up  the  trunk,  shp  far  out  on  a 
horizontal  limb,  jump  off  and  leave  the  dog  be- 
hind, "  barking  up  the  wrong  tree."  Some- 
times they  would  run  down,  on  seeing  me 
approach,  and  get  safely  away  both  from  dog 
and  gun.  When  the  tree  was  large,  I  often 
had  to  build  a  fire  and  search  long,  mostly  in 
vain.  Once,  after  a  careful  and  protracted 
search,  I  saw  the  beast  only  twenty  feet  above 
me,  with  his  head  resting  in  a  fork,  and  his 
eyes  fixed  steadily  upon  me.  The  wonder 
was,  that  I  had  not  seen  him  sooner.  As  the 
roaring  fire  flashed  up,  I  could  see  his  ears, 
his  nose,  his  eyes,  and  the  fine  dark  lines 
across  his  visage.  It  seemed  a  pity  to  spoil 
so  pretty  a  face.  But  his  skin  was  what  I 
wanted,  and  all  but  his  head  would  be  un- 
injured. I  took  good  aim,  and  planted  a  load 
of  shot  right  in  his  head.  There  was  a  rustle 
among  the  leaves,  a  rattle  against  the  limbs, 
and  a  thump  upon  the  ground. 

But  the  dog  did  not  pick  it  up  and  shake  it, 
as  was  his  vicrorous  custom.     Going  to  inves- 


AMONG  THE  SIERRAS GROUSE  VALLEY.      9 1 

tigate  the  cause,  I  found  it.  It  was  dead  as  a 
block.  And  it  was  a  block! — the  stump  of  a 
broken  hmb.     I  had  made  a  good  shot. 

On  another  occasion,  I  shot  the  beast  by 
starhght.  When  the  dog  had  finished  his 
shake,  I  picked  up  the  animal,  and  it  proved 
to  be  a  wild  cat.  It  was  a  fine  specimen.  I 
dressed  and  lined  the  skin  for  a  rug.  It  was  a 
beauty.  The  fox-skins  afterward  went  through 
a  similar  process.  They  are  handsome,  too, 
but  being  unacquainted  with  the  business,  I 
failed  to  save  their  magnificent  tails. 

About  the  middle  of  March,  as  I  returned 
from  Visalia,  where  I  went  for  my  mail  every 
two  or  three  weeks,  I  saw  a  fine  lot  of  suckers 
in  a  creek,  near  the  Kaweah.  I  dismounted, 
and  rigged  a  large  hook  with  six  inches  of 
line,  to  the  end  of  a  ten  foot  rod.  From  a 
high  bank  above,  I  carefully  lowered  it  among 
them.  Two  shepherds  came  by,  stopped  to 
see  the  sport,  and  expressed  a  doubt  about 
any  plan  but  the  spear.  I  replied  that  the 
spear  was  barbarous,  and  that  I  had  hooked 
them  so,  east.    In  twenty  minutes,  ten  of  them 


92  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

were  floundering  in  the  sand.  I  strung  upon 
a  willow,  and  hung  them  upon  the  horn  of  my 
saddle.     The  ten  weighed  seventeen  pounds. 

At  this  time  the  thermometer  ranged  from 
35°  to  45°  at  six  A.  M.,  and  from  6o°  to  75° 
at  noon. 

Having  received  a  cordial  invitation  from 
Mr.  Cahoon  to  live  with  him,  and  teach  him 
to  write,  I  concluded  to  make  the  change. 
There  was  too  much  hard  work  on  the  ranch. 
Though  what  I  did,  beyond  the  worth  of  my 
"grub,"  was  wholly  voluntary,  yet  I  could  not 
be  idle  with  work  around  crying  to  be  done. 
And  even  to  earn  my  board  was  a  serious 
matter.  For  while  my  digestion  appeared  to 
be  equal  to  any  task,  my  muscle  was  not  on 
a  par  with  the  requirements  of  the  mattock 
and  axe. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

AMONG  THE  SIERRAS CAHOON's. 

/^N  April  5th,  I  packed  up  and  went  down 
to  Cahoon's.  His  cabin  was  built  of 
heavy  oak  posts  set  on  end,  blocked  and  plas- 
tered with  clay.  It  was  twelve  by  sixteen 
feet,  with  chimney  and  fire-place  at  one  end. 
It  was  well  roofed  with  clap-boards,  and  for  a 
floor  had  plain  mother  earth.  There  were 
three  bunks,  two  single  ones,  and  one  large 
double  one.  The  latter,  we  used  for  a  side- 
board. Our  table  was  an  humble  affair,  but  a 
blessing  was  as  devoutly  asked,  and  the  food 
as  heartily  devoured,  as  at  the  best  walnut  ex- 
tension. It  was  an  inverted  store-box,  about 
two  by  three  feet. 

Before  Mr.  Cahoon  commenced  dressing 
his  deer  skins,  of  which  he  had  one  hundred 
and  twenty,  we  went  on  a   fishing   excursion 

93 


94  'i'HE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

to  the  Kaweah.  From  8j^,  A.  M.  until  2,  P. 
M.,  we  travelled  and  fished.  As  usual,  Cahoon 
had  all  the  luck.  But  in  this  case,  not  much 
to  be  elated  over — one  speckled  trout  of 
about  three-quarters  pound  weight!  We 
could  not  imagine  what  had  become  of  "the 
other  one."  Failing  to  find  it,  after  several 
hours  vigorous  search,  we  concluded  that  it 
must  have  met  with  an  accident  among  those 
fearful  boulders. 

There  were  here,  in  the  mountains,  only  a 
few  miles  distant,  both  a  Mr.  Hector  and  a 
Mr.  Homer.  They  were  distant  relations  of 
the  ancient  worthies  of  classic  renown.  By 
agreement,  the  latter  came  to  our  camp,  one 
evening,  to  accompany  Mr.  Cahoon  on  a  hunt 
the  next  day.  An  evening  around  a  good  fire 
with  these  old  mountaineers  is  a  luxury.  Mr. 
Homer  could  neither  play  a  harp  (though  I 
dare  say  he  would  help  string  up  a  liar),  nor 
could  he  dash  off  the  Greek  hexameters. 
What  was  more  important,  on  the  present  oc- 
casion, he  had  a  good  memory,  and  was  capital 
on  a  story.     One  or  two  will  bear  repeating; 


AMONG  THE  SIERRAS CAHOON's.  95 

and  his  gray  hairs,  in  connection  with  internal 
evidence,  left  no  doubt  upon  our  minds  as  to 
their  truth. 

He  told  of  a  ,  gentleman,  down  in  Kern 
County,  who  always  carried  a  sheath-knife, 
and  he  explained  why:  once,  when  passing 
along  a  narrow  trail  in  the  coast  range,  quick 
as  lightning  from  the  cloud,  he  was  crushed 
to  the  ground.  In  a  moment  he  was  aware  of 
the  situation.  From  an  overhanging  tree,  a 
panther,  watching  for  deer,  had  leaped  upon 
him,  fixing  its  teeth  into  his  right  shoulder, 
and  its  hinder  claws  upon  his  thighs.  It 
seemed  in  a  fair  way  to  make  venison  of  Jiiin. 
His  face  was  to  the  earth,  and  he  could  scarce 
move.  His  gun  lay  useless  at  his  side.  For- 
tunately, on  this  occasion,  in  a  sheath  at  his 
breast,  he  had  a  knife,  which  he  seldom  carried. 
Struggling  quietly,  he  by  and  by  got  hold  of 
the  handle,  writhed  partly  around,  locked  the 
hind  legs  of  the  beast  with  his  own,  got  the 
point  of  the  knife  about  where  he  thought  it 
ought  to  be,  and  with  his  left  hand  ga\e  it  a 
quick  and  terrible  plunge.     The  beast  let  go 


96  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

its  hold,  but  ]ic  now  held  on.  It  struggled, 
rolled  over,  and  died.  He  had  thrust  it 
through  the  heart.  His  heavy  coat  and  under 
clothing  had  prevented  serious  wounds.  Ever 
afterward  he  carried  a  sheath-knife,  and  when 
on  a  wooded  trail,  kept  an  eye  upward,  too. 

Of  this  same  man,  Mr.  H.  related  the  fol- 
lowing "bear  story:" 

Near  their  camp,  in  the  Sierra  Nevadas,  two 
men  at  different  times,  on  a  certain  trail,  had 
recently  been  chased  a  long  distance  by  a 
large  bear.  As  it  was  late  in  the  evening,  they 
could  not  say  whether  it  was  a  "brown"  or  a 
"  grizzly,"  but  he  was  a  huge  fellow  at  any  rate. 
This  gentleman  on  returning,  one  evening, 
passed  another  camp,  five  miles  from  his  own, 
and  had  to  take  this  same  trail.  He  was  on 
horseback,  and  carried  a  double-barreled  shot- 
gun, well  charged.  Of  course,  he  thought 
about  that  bear.  Night  had  already  set  in.  It 
was  foggy,  and  the  ground  was  muddy  from 
recent  rain.  He  had  passed  the  camp  but  a 
little  way,  when  he  thought  he  heard  foot- 
steps in  the  trail  behind  him.     Putting  spurs  to 


AMONG  THE  SIERRAS CAHOON  S.  97 

his  horse,  he  concluded  that  he  would  prudent- 
ly leave  it  behind,  whatever  it  might  be. 
Slacking  speed,  by  and  by,  he  took  it  more 
leisurely,  thinking  he  had  possibly  been  mis- 
taken, at  any  rate.  But  presently,  slap!  slap! 
slap!  in  the  mud,  he  certainly  hears  the  foot- 
fall of  the  beast  pursuing  him.  Again  he  put 
spurs  to  his  horse,  and  the  poor  brute  thundered 
over  the  rocks,  rushed  down  awful  steeps,  and 
smoked  as  he  toiled  up  the  rugged  passes. 
Another  mile  made,  another  pause  in  speed. 
Surely  he  had  now  left  it  far  behind.  But  no. 
In  a  few  minutes,  that  now  terrible  foot-fall 
strikes  his  ear  again.  It  is  nearly  three  miles 
to  camp.  Again  he  tries  to  leave  his  dreadful 
pursuer  behind,  and  dashes  through  the  gloom 
another  mile.  Things  had  now^  come  to  a 
crisis.  His  horse  was  ready  to  give  out.  But 
he  had  a  loaded  gun.  Why  not  make  a  stand, 
like  a  man,  and  use  it?  He  resolved  to  do  so ; 
or,  at  least,  give  it  the  contents  of  his  o"un,  and 
then  leave  as  fast  as  his  horse  might  be  able. 
Reining  up  in  the  trail,  but  leaving  the 
horse's  head  toward  camp,  he  turned  half 
7 


98  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

round  in  the  saddle,  summoned  all  his  courage, 
and  waited.  But  not  long.  Slap!  slap!  slap! 
came  those  tremendous  paws,  making  melan- 
choly music  in  the  mud.  With  the  gun  to  his 
face,  he  peered  back  into  the  darkness,  and 
when  at  a  few  steps  distance  the  monster's  form 
appeared,  he  pulled  both  triggers,  turned  in 
his  saddle,  clapped  spurs  to  his  horse,  gal- 
loped the  remaining  mile,  and  in  sweat  and 
terror  tumbled  into  camp.  His  camp  fellows 
were  amazed.  However,  it  was  thought  best 
not  to  return  until  day-light  would  reveal  the 
kind  of  animal  they  had  to  deal  with.  Early 
dawn  found  them  cautiously  approaching  the 
spot.  And  lo!  there  it  lay.  He  had  shot  it 
fair  in  the  head,  and  had  carried  away  one  lobe 
of  the  brain.     It    was    a    big,  brown — mule! 

Daylight  had  brought  trouble  to  the  neigh- 
boring camp,  too. 

A  man  was  spending  the  night  there,  and 
had  picketed  his  beast  to  feed.  It  had  got 
loose,  had  seen  the  horse  pass,  and,  donkey 
like,  had  followed  after.  For  its  unw^avering 
affection  for  the  horse,  it  had  lost  its  brains. 


AMONG  THE  SIERRAS CAHOON  S.  99 

The  owner  missed,  tracked,  and  found  it.  The 
murderer,  too,  was  found,  plead  guilty,  and 
asked  the  value  of  the  mule.  Sixty  dollars. 
They  were  both  generous,  split  the  difference, 
and  J.  P.  L.  paid  thirty  dollars  for  his  dead  shot. 

But  to  return  to  our  own  narrative.  Next 
morning,  they  went  hunting,  not  for  pleasure, 
but  for  meat.  We  were  out.  At  3>^  P.  M., 
they  came  back,  without  having  even  seen 
game,  though  they  had  ridden  twelve  miles 
and  walked  six.  Like  a  good  minister,  who 
was  once  greatly  comforted  by  listening  to 
the  evident  failure  of  a  prominent  pulpit  orator, 
so  was  I,  that  old  hunters  could  sometimes 
"get  into  the  brush,"  and  come  out  with 
nothing  more  than  scratches. 

The  weather,  during  April  and  May,  was 
charming.  The  last  frost,  an  unusually 
late  one,  had  occurred  on  the  7th  of  April. 
The  hills  were  clothed  with  green,  and  the 
plains  below  were  carpeted  with  flowers.  By 
the  last  of  May,  the  flowery  carpet  had  crept 
up,  like  a  sunrise  reversed,  and  reached  our 
camp.     Before  starting  to  Visalia,  one  day,  I 


rOO  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

gathered,  for  an  amateur  botanist  in  town, 
twenty-three  varieties  of  wald  flowers,  that  grew 
within  rifle-shot  of  our  cabin. 

The  good  old  robin  sang  his  morning  and 
evening  song,  and  quails  in  abundance  whistled 
about  our  camp.  At  night,  the  foxes  barked, 
and  as  w^e  had  no  dog,  they  came  and  went 
unmolested. 

Our  stock  of  literature  was  not  large,  but 
very  select.  While  we  were  beyond  and 
above  the  influences  of  the  Daily  Press,  we 
had  "The  Christian  Advocate,"  an  occasional 
"Harper's  Monthly,"  the  "Overland  Month- 
ly," "The  Bible,"  and  "Thompson's  Lectures." 

There  was  no  church  nearer  than  about 
twenty-five  miles.  But  on  Saturday  evening,  or 
early  on  Sabbath  morning,  we  washed  up  and 
put  on  clean  clothes,  like  civilized  people.  Mr. 
Gaboon  omitted  his  usual  work  on  Sunday,  and 
I  spent  most  of  the  day  in  reading.  A  half 
mile  east  of  our  cabin  was  a  grand  Sabbath 
resort.  It  was  the  summit  of  a  hill,  over- 
looking several  miles  of  the  noisy  Kaweah. 
which  was  two  thousand  feet  below.     Around 


AMONG  THE  SIERRAS CAHOON  S.  lOI 

were  rocks,  and  trees,  and  birds.  The  fox  and 
the  wild  cat  had  hidden  way.  The  panther  lay- 
coiled  in  his  lair.  The  timid  deer  suspiciously 
snuffed  the  air,  or  quietly  grazed  on  the  grassy 
slope. 

Beyond,  and  rising  in  majesty  above  the 
river  and  dark,  deep  canyons,  were  the  lofty 
heights  of  the  Sierras.  Robed  in  snow  and 
mantled  with  cloud,  their  feet  upon  the  founda- 
tions of  the  earth,  and  their  heads  amid  the 
heavens,  they  stood  preaching  the  power  and 
wisdom  of  their  Maker. 

To  the  auditor  was  announced  the  text, 
"Day  unto  day  uttereth  speech,"  and  if  he 
were  not  both  deaf  and  blind,  he  could  both 
hear  and  see  the  sermon.  The  crystal  Kaweah 
struck  music  from  a  granite  instrument  of 
many  octaves,  and  the  breath  of  the  Almighty 
bore  it  sweetly  and  powerfully  up  to  the  sum- 
mit of  the  hills. 

What  a  lavish  expenditure  of  divine  ex- 
cellence among  these  mountains !  The  ordi- 
nary grove  and  choral  music  of  the  camp  meet- 
ing are  feeble  in  comparison.      The  devout, 


I02  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

human  soul  could  readily  join  the  seraphim, 
whom  Isaiah  saw,  and  cry,  "  Holy,  holy,  holy, 
is  the  Lord  of  hosts;  the  whole  earth  is  full 
of  his  glory." 

The  poet  has  said : 

"Full  many  a  gem  of  purest  ray  serene, 

The  deep  unfathomed  caves  of  ocean  bear — 
Full  many  a  flower  is  born  to  blush  unseen, 
And  waste  its  sweetness  on  the  desert  air." 

This  is  only  a  hint  at  the  whole  truth.  From 
the  little  we  know,  it  is  likely  that  those  un- 
seen gems  and  flowers  are  not  simply  "full 
many,"  but  vastly  exceeding  in  abundance 
those  already  known.  Humanity,  cursed  so 
deeply  by  sin,  and  expelled  from  Eden,  is 
feeding  upon  the  meagre  fruit  that  falls  from 
the  boughs  of  a  few  trees  that  over-hang  the 
hedge  surrounding  God's  infinite  garden. 

But  this  is  a  practical  world.  A  Sabbath 
soon  ends.  "Six  days  shalt  thou  labor." 
We  soon  descend  from  the  sanctuary  to  food 
and  raiment;  and  unless  the  God  who  dwells 
in  the  sanctuary,  abides  in  our  hearts,  life  is 
poor  and  hard   indeed.     With  him   dwelling 


AMONG  THE  SIERRAS — CAHOON  S.  IO3 

there,  it  becomes  a  blessing  to  man  and  an 
honor  to  his  Creator. 

To  return  to  daily  employments.  We  kept 
tv/o  gentle  cows.  At  night,  they  were  put 
into  the  corral,  and  their  calves  were  allowed 
to  race  around  and  nip  the  fresh  grass.  By  day, 
they  were  pent  up,  and  the  cows  allowed  to 
roam  at  large.  I  enjoyed  milking  them;  and 
still  more,  drinking  the  milk.  But  after  darning 
socks,  the  most  interesting  domestic  employ- 
ment was,  washing  our  tin  dishes.  I  know  it 
is  generally  regarded  as  a  menial,  tiresome, 
unprofitable  and  despicable  employment. 
With  plenty  of  hot  water  and  soap,  I  enjoyed 
it.  To  be  an  agent  in  a  cleansing  process  is 
no  mean  business. 

I  consider  it  vastly  more  dignified  and 
worthy  of  the  divine  nature  of  man,  to  wash 
a  plate,  or  sweep  a  street,  than  to  injure  the 
health  and  pollute  the  air  by  smoking  tobacco. 
In  many  employments  you  toil  long  and  hard, 
without  making  your  mark.  A  good  dish 
washer  never  does.  "  But  it  has  to  be  done 
over,    and  over,  and  over    again."     So    does 


104  '^HE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

eating,  so  does  sleeping,  so  does  plowing,  and 
so  does  preaching.  The  most  noble  acts 
beneficently  allow  repetition.  The  worst, 
ought  never  to  be  done  at  all. 

When  on  a  trip  down  the  valley,  about  the 
last  of  April,  I  had  a  chase  after  the  Sand-hill 
Cranes.  They  come  down  upon  the  plains  in 
great  numbers,  to  feed  upon  the  grass-hoppers. 
They  descend  from  an  immense  height,  often 
two  miles  or  more.  You  can  hear  their  plain- 
tive cry  before  they  are  visible.  Presently, 
after  earnest  search,  you  see  a  number  of  little 
dark  discs  circling  round  and  round,  and  slow- 
ly enlarging.  In  a  half-hour,  they  settle  upon 
the  plain,  form  a  long  line,  and  sweep  the 
"hoppers"  clean.  As  they  were  said  to  be 
excellent  eating,  and  not  having  "Betsy" 
along,  I  borrowed  an  old  shot-gun,  mounted 
my  horse  and  rode  out  toward  them.  Their 
sentinels,  posted  on  prominent  places,  gave 
ample  warning,  and  flock  after  flock  arose  be- 
fore I  got  within  a  hundred  yards.  Had  they 
known  how  little  was  the  impending  danger, 
they  might  have  let  me  come  much  nearer.    I 


AMONG  THE  SIERRAS CAHOOX  S.  IO5 

finally  fired  into  a  flock  as  they  rose,  but  they 
all  went  on  their  way  singing.  If  there  was 
any  satisfaction,  in  not  having  made  any  poor 
cripples,  I  had  it.  They  are  occasionally  killed 
with  the  rifle,  but  very  seldom  with  shot. 

Early  in  May,  it  got  quite  warm.  On  the 
fifth,  the  thermometer  at  6,  A.  M.,  marked 
52°,  at  noon,  80°. 

The  rattle-snakes  came  out.  Several  were 
killed  near  us.  I  had  never  heard  the  rattle, 
and  there  possessed  me  an  indefinable  fear  of 
meeting  the  first  one.  On  the  sixth,  returning 
from  a  hunt,  I  was  walking  along  a  narrow 
trail,  when  just  beside  me,  in  grass  six  inches 
high,  I  heard  the  terrible  rattle.  I  stepped 
back,  and  looked  for  the  snake;  for  though 
the  language  was  new,  an  idiot  would  need  no 
interpreter.  Not  being  able  to  see  it,  I  ad- 
vanced again.  It  reared  its  head,  rattled  vio- 
lently, threw  its  neck  into  a  horizontal  spiral, 
fixed  its  villianous  eyes  upon  me,  darted  out 
its  tongue,  and  looked  the  very  personification 
of  mischief  Not  liking  his  looks,  and  having 
had  enough  of  his  music,  I  improved  his  visage 


I06  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

with  a    load  of  buck-shot,  and    captured  his 
instrument.      It  had  seven  rattles. 

The  boys,  on  a  neighboring  ranch,  killed 
over  thirty  in  one  season.  But  they  seldom 
bite  either  man  or  beast,  as  in  almost  every 
case  they  give  warning,  and  both  man  and 
beast  hear  and  speedily  heed  it.  The  horses 
seem  to  dread  them  more  than  men  do. 

In  the  lower  foot-hills,  about  the  last  of 
May,  a  man  was  bitten  by  one.  He  had  gone 
down  to  a  little  spring  to  get  a  drink.  Having 
no  cup,  he  put  down  his  hand,  when,  without 
touch  and  without  warning,  he  was  struck. 
He  went  twenty  miles  to  Visalia  for  medical 
aid,  suffered  intensely  for  two  days,  gave  up 
hope  of  recovery,  but  finally  got  well. 

Mr.  Cahoon,  once,  went  down  to  a  spring  for 
a  drink,  and  right  at  his  feet  lay  coiled  one  of 
the  venomous  reptiles.  Standing  still,  and 
holding  his  rifle  within  a  few  inches  of  its  head, 
he  fired.  The  snake  lost  its  head,  and  he  burst 
his  gun.  Being  so  near  the  ground,  the  bar- 
rel split  from  the  muzzle  back  six  inches. 

Beside    rattle-snakes,  there    were  very  few 


AMONG  THE  SIERRAS CAHOON  S.  lO/ 

dangerous  beasts  of  any  kind.  I  saw  but  one 
centipede,  one  scorpion,  and  two  tarantulas, 
while  in  the  State.  I  found  and  captured  one 
"  Mason  Spider."  I  was  crossing  a  ditch,  just 
below  our  cabin,  when,  in  the  bare,  sloping 
bank  before  my  eyes,  his  little  door  popped 
shut.  I  watched  for  him  often,  but  never  saw 
the  door  open  again.  Some  weeks  afterward, 
I  carved  him  out.  The  earth  was  very  hard ; 
so  with  a  knife  I  worked  all  away,  but  a  small 
pillar  containing  his  den.  The  upper  part  of 
this  I  fit  into  a  little  tin  can,  got  him  into  it, 
packed  him  up  and  brought  him  home.  He 
did  not  survive  the  confinement.  When  un- 
packed, six  months  later,  only  his  bones  lay 
at  the  bottom  of  his  silk-lined  house.  The 
door  is  curiously  hung.  The  hinge  needs  no 
oil,  and  it  never  creaks. 

There  were  lizzards  by  the  score  and  thou- 
sands. At  first  I  dreaded  them,  but  soon 
I  became  accustomed  to  the  half  dozen  or 
more  that  scampered  about  our  cabin.  Their 
beautiful  colors,  active  movements,  and  skill 
in  catching  flies,   rendered  them   interesting 


I08  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

companions.  One  ran  over  my  head  as  I  lay 
in  my  bunk.  Their  rapidity  of  motion  is 
wonderful. 

During  May,  I  had  some  interesting  excur- 
sions to  the  lower  Kaweah,  after  the  white 
trout.  They  come  up  from  Tulare  Lake,  and 
are  no  mean  fish.  In  weight,  they  range  the 
whole  way  up  to  ten  pounds.  I  caught  none 
of  half  that  size,  but  found  it  a  thrilling  experi- 
ence to  haul  out  a  three  pounder.  The  best 
bait  is  a  live  frog,  and  if  they  take  it  at  all, 
they  dart  upon  it  like  a  hawk.  Some  days 
they  would  not  touch  the  bait,  though  I  could 
see  plenty  of  them  among  the  rocks,  just 
beneath  me,  in  six  feet  of  water. 

I  was  very  anxious  to  kill  some  grouse. 
Their  meat  was  said  to  be  excellent;  and,  when 
up  among  the  pines  hunting  gray  squirrels,  I 
had  heard  them  drumming.  Having  learned 
something  of  their  habits  from  Mr.  Cahoon,  I 
one  day  rode  up  to  the  summit  of  the  pine- 
covered  ridge,  between  the  Kaweah  and  Tule 
rivers,  and  soon  heard  them  in  different  parts 
of  the   woods.'    I  advanced  toward  the  one 


AMONG  THE  SIERRAS CAIIOON  S.  IO9 

that  seemed  nearest,  and  over  the  best  ground. 
But  the  source  of  the  sound  was  so  indefinite, 
both  as  to  distance  and  precise  direction,  that 
I  found  it  impossible  to  locate  it.  Then  I 
selected  another,  and  another,  with  no  better 
result.  Finally,  I  got  where  the  sound  seemed 
to  come  from  all  directions  at  the  same  time. 
After  a  long  search,  I  saw  and  shot  the  bird. 
It  weighed  three  pounds,  and  when  eating  it, 
I  thought  it  was  worth  fourteen  miles  on 
horse-back,  and  several  hours'  hunting.  Sub- 
sequently, I  killed  several,  but  in  most  cases 
I  utterly  failed  to  see  them,  after  I  had  certain- 
ly found  the  tree  in  which  they  were.  Some- 
times they  kept  on  drumming,  while  I  was 
walking  around  and  under  the  tree.  I  never 
before  heard  a  sound  that  I  could  not  locate 
its  source,  when  near.  In  that,  I  often  found 
it  impossible.  The  male  bird  produces  the 
noise  with  a  prominent  vocal  apparatus  at  the 
neck,  and  they  sit  perfectly  motionless, 
generally  in  a  loft}-  pine  or  fir.  The  meat  has 
a  peculiar  flavor,  deri\'ed  from  the  pine  leaves 
and  cones  upon   which    they  feed.     The  old 


I  lO  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

ones  are  very  tough,  and  an  experienced 
hunter  gave  a  new-comer  a  recipe  for  making 
them  tender.  It  was  as  follows:  "  Boil  them 
for  soup,  three  successive  days,  and  on  the 
fourth,  you  can  eat  the  meat." 

On  the  8th  of  May,  I  had  taken  a  ramble 
along  a  summit  of  a  ridge  running  westward 
from  our  camp.  After  finding  nothing,  but 
some  empty  tracks  and  beds  of  deer,  and  some 
amusement  in  pushing  rocks  from  the  verge 
of  a  precipice  and  seeing  them  whirl,  and 
smoke,  and  burst  as  they  rushed  among  the 
cracking  brush  in  the  gorge,  three  or  four 
hundred  feet  below,  I  went  down  ir.to  the 
canyon  and  returned  homeward.  In  some 
places  there  were  small  flats,  grown  over  with 
weeds  and  grass  a  foot  high.  At  others,  the 
steep,  rocky,  and  brushy  hill-sides  closed 
almost  together,  leaving  the  only  path  over 
boulders  and  rocks,  Avhere,  in  winter,  was  a 
torrent,  then,  only  a  feeble  brook. 

On  one  of  the  flats,  I  noticed  an  unusual 
track  upon  the  grass.  It  looked  a  little  like 
the    track    of  an  unshod    horse  or    bullock. 


AMONG  THE  SIERRAS CAHOON  S.  Ill 

But  the  weeds  and  grass  were  very  much 
dragged  down  from  step  to  step.  It  might 
be  a  bear.  But  none  had  yet  been  seen  in  the 
neighborhood.  However,  he  had  to  cross  the 
brook,  twenty  yards  ahead.  The  sand  would 
tell.  And  there  they  were,  "  Foot-prints  on 
the  sands,"  but  not  so  full  of  encouragement, 
as  those  of  which  the  poet  wrote.  Bear  stories 
are  very  laughable  around  the  camp-fire,  or  a 
thousand  miles  away;  but  to  a  green  hunter, 
in  a  deep  rocky  canyon,  two  miles  from  camp, 
and  alone  ;  a  fresh  bear-track  is  invested  with 
impressive  interest.  There  is  poetry  in  that 
of  a  deer;  none,  in  that  of  bruin.  The  print 
of  every  toe-nail  looks  like  business.  This  at 
most,  was  only  a  few  hours  old.  Appearances 
indicated  only  a  few  minutes.  However,  as 
it  was  going  my  only  road,  I  concluded  to 
slowly  follow.  With  an  ounce  ball  and  nine 
buck-shot  ready  for  instant  use,  "Betsy "ad- 
vanced cautiously,  and  gave  him  time  to  get 
well  on,  if  he  was  at  all  disposed  so  to  do. 
Though,  by  the  track,  he  was  not  over  three 


i  12  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

hundred  pounds  weight,  I  was  not  anxious  for 
a  fight. 

In  the  first  place,  there  were  no  spectators, 
but  the  vultures  soaring  above.  And  specta- 
tors are  a  most  important  circumstance  in  a 
battle.  For  if  you  win,  there  is  nobody  to 
crown  you ;  and  if  your  opponent  wins,  being 
a  bear,  he  would  simply  make  "  nuts  and  rai- 
sins" of  your  carcass;  and  all  your  friends 
would  ever  know  about  it  would  be  that  "  He 
went  out  with  the  gun,  and  didn't  come  back." 

Then,  in  the  second  place,  I  had  on  a  new 
check  shirt,  which  I  could  not  well  spare;  and 
the  print  of  those  nails  looked  as  if  they  would 
be  hard  on  clothes.  After  passing  a  half  mile 
of  grass,  brush,  and  boulders,  the  track  turned 
into  the  Black  Hill.     I  was  satisfied. 

But  camp-life  became  monotonous.  Mr. 
Gaboon's  lessons  took  but  an  hour  or  two 
each  day.  I  had  been  out  in  eight  different 
directions,  and  knew  all  the  trails  and  country 
for  several  miles  around. 

Along  the  Kaweah,  for  twenty  miles,  are 
strewn  immense  quantities   of  boulders,  red- 


AMONG  THE  SIERRAS CAHOON  S.  I  I  3 

wood,  and  pine  logs.  Some  places  they  cover 
the  river-bed  and  adjoining  flats,  a  half  mile 
wide,  and  are  often  piled  up  as  high  as  fifteen  feet. 
Down  on  the  plains,  for  many  miles  around, 
the  farmers  split  up  the  lumber  for  fencing 
and  building.  They  tried  to  saw  it,  but  it 
was  too  full  of  gravel.  The  boulders  are 
mostly  granite,  varying  in  size  from  a  bird's 
egg  up  to  forty  feet  in  diameter.  The  pines 
and  red-woods,  too,  were  of  all  sizes,  from 
that  of  a  bean  up  to  logs  ten  feet  in  diameter, 
and  to  ten,  fifteen  and  even  twenty  feet  in 
length.  Huge  logs,  eight  feet  in  diameter,  were 
broken  off  like  a  pipe-stem,  and  of  many,  the 
ends  were  rounded  and  pounded  into  a  stumpy 
splint  broom.  It  was  often  a  matter  of  won- 
der to  me  whence  they  all  came,  and  I  wanted 
to  see  the  quarry. 

Mr.  Cahoon  was  busy  dressing  deer  skins. 
Unable  to  get  company,  I  determined  to  go 
alone.  Intending  a  trip  northward,  in  June,  I 
had  recently  purchased  a  horse;  so  if  accident 
happened  to  horse  or  rider,  the  loss  would  be 
all  my  own.      He  did   not  plainly   advise   me 


114  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

not  to  go,  but  I  saw  that  he  thought  it  very 
doubtful  whether  the  "parson  "  would  make 
the  whole  trip.  The  trail  led  across  the  Sierra 
Nevadas  to  Owen's  river,  and  had  been  trav- 
elled a  good  deal  a  few  years  before,  but  was 
then  little  used,  and  no  one  had  yet  been  over 
it  since  winter;  for  on  the  summit,  there  were 
several  feet  of  snow.  Then  there  were  five 
fords  to  cross,  three  of  which  were  bad,  and 
one  really  dangerous. 

But  looking  up  at  those  lofty  mountains, 
from  day  to  day,  begets  in  one  a  desire  to 
climb.  As  they  frown  down  upon  you,  caus- 
ing a  painful  sense  of  your  mighty  littleness, 
you  draw  a  full  breath,  straighten,  like  the 
immortal  Oliver,  "pluck  up  a  spirit,"  and  say," 
"I  will  some  day  place  my  feet  upon  your 
highest  peaks."  Taking  grub  for  two  or  three 
days,  two  heavy  blankets,  shawl  and  overcoat, 
and  telling  Mr.  Cahoon  if  I  did  not  return  in 
four  days,  he  might  conclude  I  was  fast,  at 
6.40,  on  Thursday  morning.  May  29th,  I 
started.  The  ground  I  wished  to  reach  was 
near  the  head  waters  of  the  Kaweah,  and  only 


AMONG  THE  SIERRAS CAHOON's.  II5 

fifteen  miles  from  camp.  The  first  four  I  had 
been  over,  and  the  first  six  the  trail  was  good. 

This  brought  me  to  the  second  ford.  Here 
the  mountains  close  abruptly  in,  and  confine 
the  trail  to  the  river-bed.  Among  the  huge 
boulders  it  is  mostly  invisible,  and  is  often 
found  by  its  being  the  only  practicable  way 
ahead.  Getting  through,  and  ascending  the 
south  bank,  I  found  a  fresh  bear-track  going 
in  the  same  direction.  So  there  was  company 
of  some  kind  up  there,  at  any  rate. 

By  noon,  I  reached  the  third  ford,  the 
dangerous  one.  I  unsaddled  and  picketed  my 
horse  to  eat  a  little  grass  growing  among  the 
brush  and  rocks. 

Fifty  feet  beneath,  through  a  narrow  and 
frightful  gorge  the  diminutive  river  tore  its 
noisy  way.  It  was  clear  as  glass,  excepting 
where  beaten  to  foam. 

While  thankfully  eating  a  hearty  lunch  of 
graham  bread  and  dried  venison,  I  looked 
prayerfully  down  into  the  gorge,  carefully 
down  into  my  own  heart,  and  hopefully  up  to 
the  blue  sky. 


I  1 6  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

Having  finished  lunch,  I  went  down  and 
examined  the  ford.  There  were  two;  one 
terribly  bad,  the  other  still  worse.  The  water 
was  much  higher  than  when  Mr.  Cahoon  had 
crossed,  according  to  the  marks  he  gave  me. 
The  danger  arose,  not  from  the  great  amount 
of  water,  or  the  sharpness  of  the  rocks,  but 
from  the  swiftness  of  the  former,  and  the  un- 
evenness  and  slipperiness  of  the  latter.  Mr. 
Cahoon  had  avoided  riding  over,  by  tying  a 
stone  to  the  end  of  his  picket-rope,  throwing 
it  over,  and  then  going  around,  jumping  from 
rock  to  rock,  getting  over,  and  then  leading 
his  horse.  But  the  height  of  the  water  now, 
rendered  this  impossible,  and  if  I  crossed,  it 
must  be  on  horseback.  On  a  patch  of  sand, 
among  the  rocks,  I  saw  the  track  of  my  friend 
bruin.  Like  myself,  he  seemed  to  have  been 
examining  the  ford. 

Saddling  up,  I  led  my  horse  down  the  nar- 
row trail.  Twenty  feet  from  the  river  is  an 
off-set,  of  about  three  feet,  over  a  smooth  rock. 
Bill  refused  to  go  dOwn.  I  pulled  forward,  he 
backward.     I  went  up  and  coaxed.     He  would 


AMONG  THE  SIERRAS CAHOON's.  II7 

go  to  the  brink,  and  then  refuse.  I  set  down 
my  gun,  patted,  and  coaxed  more.  He  would 
not  stir.  I  paused  and  considered.  Probably, 
the  beast  was  right,  as  a  dumber  beast,  bearing 
a  wiser  prophet,  was,  on  a  certain  occasion  long 
ago.  Would  it  not  be  better  to  suffer  defeat, 
go  back  to  camp,  and  report  the  ford  im- 
passable? I  afterward  learned,  that  an  Indian 
and  an  old  mountaineer  did  that,  a  few  days 
later.  But  there  was  one  means  yet  untried. 
There  were  plenty  of  brush  growing  around, 
and  the  rod  sometimes  exerts  a  healthy  influ- 
ence upon  naughty  creatures.  So  Solomon 
thought,  in  reference  to  the  genus  homo.  I 
knew  that  he  was  not  acquainted  with  Spanish 
horses,  or  he  might  well  have  enlarged  the 
scope  of  his  advice.  I  did  what  he  had 
neglected,  and  made  the  application.  Bill 
went  down;  I  mounted,  committed  all  to  the 
hands  of  the  good  Father,  spurred  down 
another  shelf  into  the  current,  with  my  feet 
loosely  in  the  stirrups,  and  ready  to  throw 
"Betsy"  away  in  a  moment,  if  Bill  should 
stumble. 


Il8  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

Six  feet  to  the  left,  is  a  fall,  of  a  few  feet,  over 
which  horses  and  men  have  been  swept.  So 
uneven  and  glassy  is  the  rock  beneath,  that 
if  a  horse  falls,  there  is  no  hope  for  him.  It  is 
scarcely  eight  yards  across,  and  in  a  half 
minute  I  was  over,  with  my  heart  full  of  grati- 
tude, and  my  shoes  full  of  water.  Pouring  out 
the  contents  of  both,  I  wrung  out  my  socks  and 
was  soon  climbing  up  the  side  of  the  gorge, 
leading  my  horse.  He  slipped,  got  a  terrible 
fall,  lay  on  his  side  and  groaned,  but  broke  no 
bones.     The  great  danger  was  passed. 

In  a  half-hour,  the  trail  seemed  to  turn  into 
the  river  again.  In  fact,  it  had  "run  out." 
The  winter  snows  had  bent  down  the  brush 
above,  and  the  grass  had  grown  up  from 
below.  I  lost  an  hour,  got  up  into  a  brushy 
hill,  and  went  until  my  horse  could  go  no 
further.  Leaving  horse  and  gun,  I  crept 
through  the  brush,  hunted  for' the  trail,  finally 
found  it;  by  the  vigorous  use  of  a  stout  knife 
made  a  way  for  Bill,  and  was  soon  ready  for 
something  new.  The  trail  zig  zagged  up  a  bare 
hill  as  steep  as  a  gothic  roof,  rising  nearly  a 


AMONG  THE  SIERRAS CAHOON  S.  I  1 9 

thousand  feet  to  get  over  a  rocky  bluff,  then 
descending  to  the  river  again.  Once  more 
losing  the  trail,  and  an  hour  in  finding  it,  and 
crossing  two  more  fords,  I  then  ascended  the 
main  ridge,  the  first  of  the  mountains  proper, 
and  was  soon  among  the  pines. 

The  sun  was  getting  low,  and  spiteful  little 
snow-flakes  came  whirling  down  from  a  black 
cloud.  My  overcoat  was  comfortable.  Up, 
up,  up.  The  trail  was  now  plain,  and  the 
timber  fine.  The  only  sounds  were  the  roar 
of  the  river  below,  and  the  indefinite  "woom! 
woom!  woom!"  of  the  motionless  grouse, 
among  the  lofty  pines  above.  Leaving  the 
ascending  trail,  I  kept  on  a  level  around  the 
mountain  side,  to  strike  Mr.  Cahoon's  old 
camping  place  near  the  river.  The  view  down 
the  canyon  and  into  the  distant  valley  was 
magnificent.  On  the  mountain  side,  alternate 
gulches  and  ridges  ran  down  toward  the  main 
canyon.  The  surface  was  densely  covered 
with  wild  tansy — a  stubborn  little  shrub  about 
knee  high.  Occasionally,  there  were  little 
patches  of  grass.     Four  deer  started  up,  ran 


120  THE  GUN,  KOI)  AND  SADOLK. 

across  a  gulch  and  a  ridge,  then  stood.  I  got 
down  and  fired  a  ball,  at  about  one  hundred 
and  fifty  yards.  One  switched  his  tail,  skipped 
around  a  turn  or  two,  and  then  all  trotted 
away.  As  they  went  toward  my  camping 
place,  I  rode  on,  and  presently  saw  them  stand- 
ing looking  at  me.  Again,  I  tried  to  get  with- 
in range,  but  they  kept  well  off  The  wild 
tansy  seemed  to  be  no  obstacle  to  them.  It 
was  a  serious  one  to  me,  and  I  gave  them  up. 
As  they  emerged  from  another  ravine,  and 
passed  with  the  ease  of  cloud-shadows  over 
another  ridge,  I  counted  nine.  They  looked 
as  though  made  for  that  grand  mountain 
country,  and  it  seemed  almost  wicked  to  dis- 
turb them. 

At  7  o'clock,  I  reached  the  first  "big  tree," 
sequoia  gigantca.  Its  sides  were  burnt  out,  and 
I  saw  at  once  that  it  would  make  a  good  camp. 
I  unsaddled,  picketed  Bill,  soon  had  a  fire,  a 
cup  of  tea,  and  a  hearty  supper.  The  ther- 
mometer marked  },'j° .  The  black  clouds,  like 
a  flock  of  vultures,  all  sailed  away,  and  as 
twilight  faded  beautifullv  out,   the   good   old 


AMONC;  THE  SIERRAS CAHOON  S.  12  1 

robin,  the  blessed,  plain  old  robin  sang,  from 
the  top  of  a  lofty  fir,  its  evening  song.  What- 
ever else  may  or  may  not  be  around,  I  am 
sure  God  is  always  present  where  there  are 
robins. 

My  tree,  as  I  found  by  tape-line,  next  morn- 
ing, was  fifty-two  feet  in  circumference,  and  it 
seemed  as  though  it  had  been  burned  out  for 
a  one  man  camp.  There  was  a  good  place  for 
my  bed,  and  at  the  foot  a  small  place  for  fire, 
before  which  I  put  a  shell  of  rock,  and  had  an 
elegant  place  to  "toast  my  toes."  The  grand 
old  pines,  red-woods  and  firs  stood  around, 
the  river  murmured  just  below,  and  the  stars 
shone  brilliantly  above.  But  sweeter  than  all, 
was  the  sublime  silence.  At  peep  of  day,  the 
robin  sang  his  morning  song.  Remembering 
that  "the  early  bird  caught  the  worm,"  and, 
what  was  of  more  importance  to  me,  that  deer 
are  early  risers,  at  /i^]4  o'clock,  I  had  fire  made 
and  water  on  for  tea. 

I  had  just  washed,  and  was  wiping  the  sleep 
well  outof  my  eyes,  when,  looking  out  among 
the  pines,  I  saw  a  deer  coming  up  from  the 


122  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

river,  only  a  hundred  yards  away.  Uncombed 
and  hatless,  I  took  "Betsy,"  and  went  out 
toward  him.  No  wonder  he  fled!  But 
"where  there's  one,  there's  more,"  came  into 
my  mind,  and  I  went  on.  Up- came  another, 
and  stood  looking  at  me.  Unable  to  hold  the 
gun  anywhere  near  steady,  I  fired  a  ball,  at 
about  seventy-five  yards.  He  switched,  walked 
up  the  hill  a  little  way,  and  stood  looking,  as 
if  trying  to  make  out  what  kind  of  beast  I 
might  be. 

I  thought,  "if  you  are  so  tame,  I  will  go 
close  and  try  buck-shot." 

Getting  a  tree  in  range,  I  advanced.  It 
trotted  away.  "Betsy"  roared.  It  fell.  I 
had  roast  tender-loin  for  breakfast.  After 
breakfast,  I  skinned  and  hung  up  the  meat  to 
cool,  which  it  soon  did,  with  the  mercury  down 
at  27°. 

Three  of  my  nine  shot  had  struck  the  game, 
one  piercing  the  heart. 

As  I  took  my  horse  down  to  the  river  bank 
for  better  feed,  about  fifty  yards  below  my 
camp,  I  found  a  new  phenomenon — the  unmis- 


AMONG  THE  SIERRAS CAHOON  S.  I23 

takable  track  of  a  grizzly  bear.  While  Ursns 
Major  had  been  making  tracks  in  heaven 
above,  nrsus  lioitibiUs  had  been  making  them 
on  earth  below.  Up  to  this  time,  I  had  been 
anxious  to  see  a  "grizzly"  in  the  woods. 
Afterward,  never;  unless  there  were  near  me 
a  tree  easily  climbed,  or  between  us  an  unford- 
able  stream.  The  track  was  ten  by  twelve 
inches,  and  was  not  extraordinary,  for  the 
bears  have  been  killed  weighing  as  much  as 
eighteen  hundred  jDounds.  The  track  alone 
was  sufficient  for  me. 

I  then  went  a  half  mile  further  up,  to  see 
the  quarries,  whence  came  the  logs  and  boul- 
ders. I  saw  them.  Vast  mountain  masses,  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  in  width,  and  some  of  them 
a  half  mile  long,  loosened  by  the  rains  and 
freighted  with  snow,  had  slipped  out,  bearing 
rocks,  and  trees,  and  all  into  the  canyon. 
Then  the  river  had  dammed  up,  until  the  pres- 
sure overcame  the  resistance  ;  then  the  whole 
ruin  had  been  carried  thundering  and  tearing 
down  the  mountain.  Such  evidences  of  h\-- 
draulic  power,  I  had  never  before  seen. 


124  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

This  branch  of  the  river,  here  takes  leaps  of 
forty  or  fifty  feet  at  a  single  bound.  The  snap- 
ping of  logs,  ten  feet  in  diameter,  and  the 
rolling  and  polishing  of  boulders  as  large  as  a 
house,  were  fully  explained. 

Among  the  pines,  I  found  a  wonderfully 
beautiful  flower.  It  was  new  to  me,  then,  but 
I  afterward  learned  that  it  is  called  the  "  snow 
flower,"  from  the  fact  that  it  is  found  only  at 
a  high  altitude,  and  appears  soon  after  the 
snow  melts.  The  botanist,  John  Torrey,  says, 
it  is  a  parasite,  and  names  it,  "  Sairodcs  San- 
giiinca''  It  is  deep  crimson,  shading  off  in 
its  central  parts  into  pink.  It  pushes  through 
the  soft  granite  soil,  at  once  a  marvel  of  beauty. 
A  fleshy  central  peduncle,  from  three  to  ten 
inches  in  height,  has  thickly  set  all  over  it 
vasiform  flowers  about  three-fourths  of  an  inch 
in  length,  and  among  these,  winding  spirally 
upward,  narrow,  fleshy  leaves  of  the  same 
crimson  color.  The  whole  forms  an  outline 
not  unlike  an  ear  of  indian  corn.  Not  a  green 
leaf  appears.     The  whole  expands  a  little,  after 


AMONG  THE  SIERRAS — CAHOON  S.  I  25 

having  attained  its  full  height,  and  in  a  few 
days,  turns  black  and  dies. 

On  another  occasion,  I  found  seven  grow- 
ing in  a  cluster,  and  digging  down  a  foot, 
I  found  a  curious  root  composed  of  a  mass 
of  little,  soft,  translucent  bulbs.  Like  the 
scarlet  flamingo  amid  the  dense  green  of 
tropical  forests,  so  these  are  in  such  striking 
contrast  with  e\^erything  around,  that  they 
would  arrest  the  attention  of  the  most  careless. 
I  carried  one  home,  but  succeeded  in  preserv- 
ing it  only  a  few  days. 

After  dinner,  I  boned  the  hams  of  my  deer, 
packed  up  twenty-one  pounds  of  meat,  as 
much  as  I  dared  pack  upon  the  horse,  besides 
myself,  and  then  started  homeward.  Night 
found  me  below  the  dangerous  ford,  camped 
on  the  dry  sand,  in  the  river  bed,  among  the 
logs  and  boulders.  A  huge  red-wood  log 
sheltered  me  from  the  wind  blowing  down  the 
canyon,  and  a  lively  fire  roared  at  my  feet. 
As  it  threatened  to  reach  an  immense  pile  of 
logs  near  by,  at  ten  o'clock,  I  got  up  and  rolled 
some  small  ones  out  of  the  wav.     There  was 


126  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

clanger  of  its  getting  to  the  adjoining  hills, 
where  much  of  the  grass  was  already  dry,  and 
fires  were  likely  to  do  damage.  At  four 
o'clock,  I  was  awakened  by  a  succession  of  re- 
ports, like  dull  pistol  shots.  Opening  my  eyes, 
I  saw  the  hills  lighted  up,  a  volume  of  pitchy 
smoke  ascending,  and  that  huge  pile  of  logs 
on  fire.  I  had  no  time  to  lose  in  getting  out. 
The  red-woods  were  snapping  like  a  battery 
of  small  Gatling  guns,  and  the  heated  boulders 
were  throwing  hot  hemispherical  shells.  To 
say  that  I  "took  up  my  bed  and  walked," 
would  not  describe  the  action.  Bill  was  all 
right;  picketed  up  on  the  hill-side,  he  ceased 
eating  to  see  the  moving.  By  rolling  logs, 
and  moving  small*  wood,  I  cut  off,  as  well  as  I 
could,  the  access  of  the  fire  to  the  mountain, 
ate  a  hearty  breakfast,  saddled  up,  and  at  10^2 
o'clock,  was  back  in  camp.  Mr.  Cahoon  was 
glad  to  see  both  me  and  meat,  and  gave  me 
an  invitation  to  live  and  hunt  with  him  the 
coming  winter.  I  was  now  initiated  into  the 
mysteries  and  luxuries  of  mountain  life. 
Nine    days  afterward,  the  folks  in  Grouse 


Hunting  among  the  Sierras. 


Page  r27. 


AMONG  THE  SIERRAS CAHOON  S.  12/ 

Valley  were  out  of  meat.  Doc  had  hunted 
the  surrounding  hills  in  vain;  so  he  proposed 
an  expedition  up  to  the  same  country,  where  I 
had  seen  so  much  game.  I  consented  to  go 
along,  if  Mr.  Cahoon  would  furnish  two  horses, 
and  run  the  risks.  Bill  was  not  only  tired, 
but  badly  bruised,  also.  He  agreed,  as  we 
were  again  nearly  out  of  meat,  too. 

Now,  as  this  hunt  contains  a  precious,  little 
bear  story,  I  must  give  details.  We  prepared 
four  or  five  days'  "  grub,"  and  met  by  agree- 
ment down  at  the  river,  on  Monday  morning, 
the  ninth  of  June.  There  were  Doc,  Oliver, 
his  little  brother,  a  lad  of  eleven  years,  who 
went  along  to  keep  camp,  and  help  look  after 
the  horses,  Billy  Davis,  a  young  man  of 
eighteen,  and  myself  Doc  and  his  brother  had 
three  horses,  Billy  and  I,  each  two,  one  to  ride, 
and  one  with  pack.  We  made  a  lively  little 
caravan,  and  as  I  had  just  been  over  the  route, 
we  lost  no  time  in  hunting  the  trail.  There 
was  some  trembling  at  the  dangerous  ford, 
and  the  more,  because  Doc  had  once  seen  a 
man  and  horse  carried  over  the  rapids.     But 


128  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

we  all  got  safely  over.  Three  of  the  seven 
horses  fell  on  the  slippery  rock,  going  up  from 
the  river. 

Doc  was  very  tall,  and  rode  a  high  white 
horse,  named  "  Gimlet."  He  often  got  fast  in 
the  incumbent  brush.  Then  we  all  halted 
until  "Gimlet"  bored  through.  For  Doc,  the 
boring  was  more  than  merely  disagreeable. 
When  we  got  through  those  brushy  hills,  his 
face  and  ears  were  bleeding.  For  the  smallest 
of  us,  on  the  lower  horses,  it  was  rough.  The 
process  is  this  :  You  come  up  to  a  tight  place, 
and  your  horse  halts.  You  draw  your  slouch 
hat  down,  lean  forward  along-side  the  horn 
of  the  saddle,  with  your  face  by  the  horse's 
mane,  hold  your  gun  in  the  right  hand,  with 
muzzle  to  the  ground,  when  in  company,  with 
the  left  hold  the  rein,  or  the  horn  of  the  sad- 
dle, spur  the  beast,  and  tell  him  to  go  along. 
He  thrusts  forward  his  muzzle,  lays  back  his 
cars,  and  obeys  orders.  Then  you  feel  about 
like  an  ear  of  corn  going  through  a  corn- 
sheller.  On  my  previous  trip,  I  was  nearly 
raked  from  the  saddle  several  times,  and  once 


AMONG  THE  SIERRAS CAHOON  S.  I  29 

my  gun  was  discharged.  A  good  slouch  hat, 
heavy  duck  coat,  and  overalls,  are  the  only 
security  against  a  large  collection  of  very  un- 
profitable rents. 

At  four,  P.  M.,  we  reached  camp.  The 
others  had  a  small  tent.  I  camped  in  the 
hollow  of  a  fallen  "big  tree"  near  by,  prefer- 
ing  the  open  air.  Next  day,  all,  excepting 
Oliver,  went  out  to  hunt.  Billy,  south,  on 
foot;  Doc,  east,  on  "Gimlet;"  I,  on  "Barney," 
went  up  the  Owens  River  trail,  and  struck  for 
the  summit.  Just  then,  I  was  more  interested 
in  the  scenery  than  in  game.  About  9^ 
o'clock,  I  rode  out  upon  the  rocky  crest  of  the 
first  mountain,  in  the  main  chain  of  the  Sierra 
Nevadas.  The  altitude  was  about  eight  thou- 
sand feet.  The  red-woods  had  disappeared. 
A  few  pines  and  firs  stood  feebly  around.  Be- 
yond, on  the  flat,  the  timber  was  mostly 
"  tamarack."  Beneath,  and  westward,  was  the 
grandest  extensive  view  I  ever  saw.  Just  be- 
low, were  the  high  hills  and  deep  canyons, 
covered  with  lofty  pines,  firs  and  red-woods. 
Below  t'.iese,  and  receding  toward  the  plains, 
9 


130  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

thirty  miles  away,  were  the  foot-hills,  already 
burned  brown  by  the  sun.  Below  all,  was  the 
valley  of  the  San  Joaquin,  partly  hidden  by 
clouds.  A  little  to  the  south  of  west,  seventy 
miles  distant,  like  a  silver  cloudlet,  lay  Tulare 
Lake.  Toward  it  wound  the  green  water- 
courses of  the  Tule,  Kaweah,  and  Kings 
rivers.  In  the  haze,  bounding  the  western 
horizon,  stretched  the  Coast  Range.  To  the 
east,  rose  majestic  snow-covered  peaks,  five 
thousand  feet  higher  than  where  I  stood.  The 
sky  was  cloudless  above,  and  the  air  exhilara- 
ting. I  uncovered  my  head  and  thanked  God 
for  the  providence  that  had  led  me  to  that 
spot.  "  Deep  answereth  to  deep."  The  depth 
of  trial,  to  the  summit  of  earthly  blessing.  It 
seemed  but  a  little  way  to  heaven — much 
nearer  than  Babel  builders  ever  get. 

Turning  eastward,  through  the  standing  and 
many  prostrate  tamaracks,  I  was  soon  among 
the  snow-drifts — the  remains  of  the  mighty 
piles  that  had  been  stored  there  during  the 
previous  winter.  I  travelled  on,  about  four 
miles,  over    minor  ridges,  and   then    entered 


AMONG  THE  SIERRAS CAHOON  S.  I3I 

some  broad  meadows.  The  snow  had  just 
disappeared  from  these,  and  the  grass  was 
peeping  through.  I  left  the  trail,  turned  north- 
ward, made  a  circuit,  struck  a  chain  of  little 
lakes,  found,  and  shot  a  lone  mallard  duck,  but 
saw  no  other  game,  and  only  a  few  tracks  of 
deer.  The  day  was  beautiful ;  the  thermome- 
ter rose  to  70°  at  noon.  I  picketed  my  horse 
upon  a  grassy  plot,  and  sat  down  by  a  snow- 
cold  brook  to  enjoy  my  lunch.  The  least 
expected  annoyance  in  the  world  now  de- 
veloped itself,  and  became  serious.  The 
mosquitoes  were  thick  enough  to  have  made 
a  Jerseyman  feel  perfectly  at  home.  Several 
contended  at  once  for  a  choice  spot  upon  my 
nose.  Often,  while  in  the  east,  have  I  men- 
tally sung  the  "doxology,"  after  finding  and 
slaying,  in  the  dark  hours  of  night,  one  of 
these  dreadful  pests,  at  which  I  had  long  and 
vainly  slapped.  Here,  to  kill  them  was  easy. 
They  never  moved  when  once  they  settled. 
It  was  a  favorable  place  to  take  cheap  ven- 
geance upon  the  whole  race.  Returning  to 
camp,  I  met  the  others  going  out  for  a  deer, 


132  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

that  Doc  had  killed  in  the  morning.  Billy 
had  seen  no  game.  My  duck  was  the  first 
meat  brought  in,  but  it  was  only  "duck-meat." 

Next  day,  we  hunted  again.  Doc  saw  no- 
thing. Billy  saw  a  bear,  a  great  way  off  across 
a  canyon.  I  travelled  about  eight  miles  on 
foot,  purposely  for  game,  and  got  one  grouse, 
and  three  severe  tumbles  among  the  rocks 
and  brush.  I  went  through  some  fearful 
country,  saw  plenty  of  deer  tracks  and  some 
signs  of  bear. 

As  the  bears  had  devoured  the  carcass  of 
the  deer  I  had  killed,  when  there  before,  I 
determined  to  set  my  gun  for  them  over  night. 
I  got  into  camp  about  sundown,  took  the 
trimmed  carcass  of  Doc's  deer,  and  went  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  down  the  canyon,  so  as  to  be 
certainly  out  of  the  way  of  two  horses  which 
were  not  picketed.  Going  over  the  edge  of  a 
deep  ravine,  which  opened  into  a  still  larger 
one,  densely  covered  with  brush,  rocks,  and 
live  oaks,  I  found  a  small  fallen  tree-top  and 
a  clump  of  bushes  and  rocks  near  by,  which 
furnished    a    suitable    place    to    fix    the    bait. 


AMONG  THE  SIERRAS CAHOON  S.  I  33 

The  wind  had  already  set  down  the  canyon, 
and  I  kept  a  good  look-out  down  in  that 
direction,  not  knowing  but  that  I  might  get  a 
customer  before  I  was  ready.  Having  fixed 
the  bait  so  it  could  be  reached  in  only  one 
direction,  I  tied  "Betsy"  in  the  tree-top,  with 
three  stout  cords  and  straps.  To  the  triggers 
I  adjusted  small  levers,  and  to  them  a  heavy 
trout-line,  so  as  to  fire  both  barrels  at  once. 
I  had  fastened  my  line,  drawn  it  to  the  proper 
tension,  and  was  ready  to  cock  the  gun  and 
leave.  At  that  moment,  I  heard  a  cracking  in 
the  bushes  just  above,  where  I  had  come  down, 
and  looked  up,  thinking  one  of  the  horses  had 
found  me.  Horrors!  There  was  coming 
down,  right  for  me,  a  brown  bear!  His  nose 
was  toward  the  ground,  and  he  was  coming 
over  the  wild  tansy  in  an  easy  gallop.  He 
evidently  wanted  my  carcass. 

Without  the  least  intention  of  being  polite 
on  my  part,  m.y  hat  rose,  I  should  think,  near- 
ly an  inch.  "Betsy"  was  securely  tied.  I 
had  no  pistol,  nor  even  a  sheath-knife.  My 
vocal  organs  were  very  defective.     However, 


134  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

they  uttered  a  respectable  "  booh-wooh ! "  The 
credit  for  the  first  part  of  that  very  natural 
expression  belongs  wholly  to  the  bear,  and  I 
will  not  attempt  to  deprive  him  of  it.  But  the 
second,  I  am  conscious  of  having  willed.  He 
dropped  upon  his  haunches,  looked  at  me, 
seemed  to  be  frightened  about  as  badly  as 
myself,  or  else,  sorry  that  he  had  so  badly 
scared  me,  turned  and  ran  down  the  hill.  In 
a  few  seconds  I  had  "Betsy"  cut  loose,  and 
followed  him  over  the  edge  of  the  ravine,  only 
to  hear  the  brush  crack  down  below.  It  was 
now  too  late  to  readjust  my  gun,  and  thinking 
he  might  come  back,  or  another  come  along 
attracted  by  the  smell  of  the  meat,  I  mounted 
some  rocks  near  by,  got  well  out  of  danger, 
and  watched  my  bait  as  long  as  I  could  see  to 
shoot.  Then  I  trudged  slowly  back  to  camp, 
tired  and  without  game,  but  happy  in  forever 
having  a  patent  right  to  a  bear  story  of  my 
own,  without  inventing  it.  I  shall  always  ac- 
cord to  that  bear,  great  credit  for  his  unexcep- 
tionable conduct. 

Next  morning,  we  concluded  to  go  over  the 


AMONG  THE  SIERRAS — CAHOON  S.  I  35 

dividing  ridge,  reacli  the  head  waters  of  the 
Tule  river,  and  go  home  another  way.  We 
would  thus  avoid  the  dangerous  ford,  and 
more  hkely  get  game. 

Doc  was  thoroughly  discouraged.  He  had 
calculated  upon  killing,  at  least,  a  half  dozen 
deer  himself. 

Billy  and  Oliver  had  finished  breakfast  and 
had  strolled  away. 

Doc  and  I  were  washing  down  the  last  bites 
of  bread  with  the  nether  contents  of  the  coffee- 
pot. Billy  came  hastily  and  quieth'  back,  say- 
ing: "There's  a  bear  coming  down  the  hill." 
Doffing  coats  and  donning  arms,  w^e  went  out 
to  meet  him.  Sure  enough,  there  he  was, 
slowly  coming  down  among  the  pines  and 
wild  tansy,  only  eighty  yards  away,  and  head- 
ing for  a  point  about  forty  yards  distant.  As 
he  looked  so  stupid,  and  we  had  the  wind,  I 
advised  to  let  him  come  closer.  Billy  and 
Doc  dropped  upon  one  knee,  side  by  side,  and 
when  he  \vas  about  seventy  yards  a\\'ay,  both 
rifles  cracked  together.  He  plunged  forward, 
and    was    hidden    behind   a   bank.     As  they 


136  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

began  to  re-load,  I  ran  across  the  ravine  before 
us,  and  when  I  rose  upon  the  opposite  bank, 
there  he  was,  running  straight  on  down  on 
three  legs.  Letting  him  come  full  broad-side, 
I  fired  a  ball  at  twenty  paces.  He  tumbled 
over,  gave  a  loud  groan,  and  when  I  came  up, 
he  was  in  "articulo  mortis."  A  ball  from  one 
of  the  rifles  had  pierced  the  superior  muscles 
of  his  neck,  and  broken  his  right  shoulder. 
Mine  had  gone  square  through  his  vitals  and 
lodged  against  the  skin.  So  it  nearly  happened, 
that  "me  and  'Betsy'  killed  a  bear." 

He  was  a  cinnamon  or  brown  bear,  and 
though  he  looked  large  when  running,  he 
weighed  only  about  two  hundred  pounds. 
We  skinned  him,  hung  up  the  meat  to  cool, 
and  then  concluded  to  return  the  way  we 
came.     Night  found  us  at  home  again. 

Having  determined  upon  a  journey,  north- 
Avard,  on  horseback,  I  made  a  pair  of  buck- 
skin saddle-bags,  packed  up  my  traps,  and  on 
Saturday,  June  21st,  bade  good-bye  to  Mr. 
Cahoon  and  my  mountain  home.  He  had 
done  well   in   orthography,  and  was  able  to 


AMONG  THE  SIERRAS CAHOON  S.  I  3/ 

write  me  a  letter  in  a  good  plain  hand,  which 
he  has  since  frequently  done.  I  presented 
him  a  pocket  Bible  for  a  keep-sake,  and  he 
gave  me  his  good  old  canteen.  If  he,  during 
life's  journey,  draws  as  precious  draughts  of 
living  water  from  that  Book,  as  I  drew  from 
that  canteen,  during  more  than  five  hundred 
miles  of  a  horseback  ride  over  the  hot  plains 
and  among  the  mountains,  we  shall  have 
reason  to  be  eternally  grateful  to  each  other. 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE  BIG  TREES. 

T  IKE  the  hair  upon  some  heads,  the  timber 
in  CaHfornia  is  concentrated  upon  particu- 
lar spots.  And  as  if  to  make  up  for  the  vast 
areas  that  are  entirely  bare,  in  those  particu- 
lar spots,  there  is  a  remarkable  development. 
While  the  State,  with  all  its  variety,  both  of  lati- 
tude and  climate,  does  not  grow  hard  timber 
fit  for  a  wagon  wheel  or  an  axe  handle,  yet 
some  of  the  soft  woods  attain  to  a  size  and 
clearness  of  grain,  found  in  no  other  part  of 
our  country. 

Before  walking  around,  and  measuring  the 
"Big  Trees"  proper,  we  will  spend  a  little 
time  among  the  "red-woods."  These  are 
found  on  the  mountains  in  all  parts  of  the 
State,  but  in  greatest  perfection  in  the  north- 
ern coast  counties. 
138 


THE  DIG  TREES.  1 39 

While  in  Mendocino  county,  I  had  an  op- 
portunity of  passing  through  the  entire  belt  to 
the  sea  coast,  at  the  mouth  of  Big  river. 
While  to  the  eye,  from  the  mountain  summits 
about  Little  Lake,  the  whole  country  toward 
the  coast  appears  generally  level,  yet,  when 
one  travels  across,  it  proves  to  be  covered 
with  hills  and  cut  by  deep  canyons. 

The  depth  of  the  latter  is  often  very  decep- 
tive, owing  to  the  extraordinary  height  of  the 
red-woods  growing  in  their  bottoms.  Here, 
they  have  the  steep  hill-sides  to  protect,  an 
alluvial  soil  of  great  depth  and  living  springs 
to  nourish  from  below,  and  the  daily  fogs 
from  the  ocean  to  supply  them  moisture  from 
above.  They  range  through  all  diameters  up 
to  ten  and  even  twelve  feet.  Diameters  of  six 
and  seven  feet  are  very  frequent.  Heights  of 
two  hundred  and  fifty  and  two  hundred  and 
seventy  feet  are  common.  Some  have  been 
felled,  measuring  three  hundred  and  twenty- 
five.  They  are  nearly  always  straight  as  an 
arrow,  mostly  perpendicular,  and  often  more 
than  one  hundred  feet  clear  of  limbs.     It  is  no 


140  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

unusual  thing  for  a  single  tree  to  cut  thirty 
thousand  feet  of  lumber. 

On  the  coast,  at  the  mouth  of  the  stream, 
whence  the  lumber  is  shipped  in  schooners, 
they  erect  a  saw-mill,  work  inland  felling  trees, 
saw  them  into  convenient  lengths,  roll  them 
into  the  stream,  float  them  down,  and,  with  a 
boom,  prevent  them  running  out  to  sea. 
When  they  get  above  reach  of  the  tides,  or 
during  the  season  of  low  water,  they  fill  the 
channel  with  logs,  and  wait  for  the  winter's 
freshet.  When  the  main  canyon  is  cleared 
of  choice  timber,  they  work  into  the  lateral 
ravines,  lay  skids,  keep  them  wet,  bark  the 
logs,  attach  oxen,  and  drag  them  down  to  the 
river-bank. 

At  Big  River,  this  work  has  been  going  on 
nineteen  years.  The  quantities  cut  and  shipped 
are  almost  incredible.  When  I  was  there, 
owing  to  decreased  demand,  they  were  running 
only  half  their  saws,  and  yet  they  cut  twenty- 
six  thousand  feet  per  day.  They  had  worked 
up  the  river,  following  its  devious  course  more 
than  forty  miles,  and  up  at  the   head-waters, 


THE  BIG  TREES.  I4I 

when  hunting,  I  found  their  lines  of  skids  ex- 
tending up  side  ravines,  a  full  mile  from  the 
river-bank.  These  skids  are  sometimes  laid 
lengthwise  with  the  ravine,  nearly  even  with 
the  surface  of  the  ground,  and  about  two  feet 
apart,  but  generally  they  are  laid  crosswise, 
and  about  six  feet  apart. 

Owing  to  the  scarcity  of  water,  the  winter 
previous,  the  whole  year's  cutting  was  yet 
lying  in  the  river-bed.  Some  places  you 
could  walk  two  miles,  stepping  from  log  to 
log.  There  was  a  man  placed  in  charge,  who 
rode  from  point  to  point,  to  protect  them  from 
fire,  that  might  accidentally  break  out  from  the 
camps  of  hunters,  teamsters,  or  travellers. 
He  told  me,  there  were  then  about  twelve 
millions  of  feet  ready  to  be  floated  down.  To 
insure  its  going,  they  had  built  a  twent}'-foot 
dam  across  a  canyon,  which  they  could  open 
at  the  opportune  moment,  and  sweep  the  whole 
mass  through,  in  a  few  hours. 

The  felling  of  one  of  these  trees  is  worth  a 
journey  to  witness.  The  best  ground  in  the 
circle  is  selected,  and  often  it  has  to  be  leveled 


142  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

up  to  prevent  breaking  the  tree.  Very  often 
neighboring  trees  or  stumps  are  so  numerous 
that  it  is  necessary  to  strike  a  particular  line. 
If  the  trunk,  a  hundred  feet  from  the  stump, 
falls  a  single  foot  from  that  line,  it  may  spoil 
a  hundred  dollars  worth  of  lumber. 

The  ground  is  chosen,  and  the  tree  plumbed. 
If  it  varies  at  all  from  the  perpendicular,  pro- 
portionate allowance  must  be  made  in  the 
direction  of  the  first  notch.  A  scaffold  is 
erected  six,  eight,  or  ten  feet  high,  depending 
upon  the  character  of  the  "butt." 

Many  of  the  trees  taper  rapidly  from  the 
ground,  up  to  six  or  ten  feet,  and  even  then  the 
first  log  is,  occasionally,  so  dense  that  it  has  to 
season  several  years  before  it  will  float  in 
water. 

The  chopper  mounts  the  scaffold  and  begins 
work.  If  it  is  Monday  morning,  the  tree 
eight  feet  in  diameter,  and  he  does  good  work, 
on  Tuesday  afternoon,  you  will  feel  the  ground 
shake  and  hear  hoarse  thunder. 

I  had  often  heard  them,  when  six  miles 
away,  and  once  waited  a  good  while  to  see  one 


THE  BIG  TREES.  I43 

fall.  The  first  notch  is  cut  in,  a  little  beyond 
the  centre,  and  a  wooden  instrument  used  to 
determine  the  precise  direction.  It  is  made 
of  two  narrow  boards  about  six  feet  long. 
At  the  middle  of  one,  the  end  of  the  other  is 
fixed  at  right  angles.  The  first  being  placed 
carefully  and  tightly  up  in  the  notch,  the 
medial  line  in  the  other,  at  the  centre  of  the 
tree,  must  point  precisely  to  the  spot,  one 
hundred  or  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  away, 
where  the  centre  of  the  trunk  is  to  strike. 

When  the  tree  is  not  quite  perpendicular,  or 
when  the  few  limbs  are  not  equally  distributed, 
it  is  an  exceedingly  nice  point  to  calculate. 

In  the  fall  I  witnessed,  the  tree  was  six  and 
a  half  feet  in  diameter,  two  hundred  and 
seventy  feet  high ;  and  it  fell  within  a  few 
inches  of  the  line  intended. 

To  see  the  fall  of  an  unfinished  struc- 
ture, that  had  commenced  building  two  hun- 
dred years  before  Columbus  discovered 
America,  was  really  exciting.  Standing  off  at  a 
safe  distance,  as  the  feeble  blows  of  the  chop- 
per were  severing  the  last  two  or  three  inches 


144  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

of  support,  a  company  of  us  intently  watched 
the  top,  to  see  the  very  first  movement.  It 
was  perfectly  calm  there  in  the  silent  canyon. 
There  was  not  only  no  swaying,  but  not  even 
the  least  vibration.  Like  a  king,  it  stood 
perfectly  poised  in  grand  and  regal  majesty. 

It's  going  at  last !  No !  The  eye  is  deceived. 
It  was  the  light  cloud  far  above.  The  sus- 
pense is  almost  painful.  Now  it  moves! 
Does  it  not?  Yes,  but  so  slowly  that  you 
almost  fear  to  say  yes.  Now  faster!  The 
chopper  clambers  down.  What  a  mighty 
sweep!  It  leaps  forward  ten  feet  from  the 
stump,  and  strikes  the  earth  with  its  whole 
length  and  weight. 

The  force  of  the  fall  is  so  great,  that  they 
sometimes  split,  and  when  the  sap  is  running, 
and  they  are  felled  down  a  slope,  they  some- 
times shoot  clean  out  of  their  bark. 

And  now,  as  to  the  "  Big  Trees,"  properly  so 
called — for  naturalists  say  they  are  a  different 
species.  About  the  only  difference,  visible  to 
an  ordinary  observer,  is  in  the  leaf  That  of 
the    red-wood  is  flat,  like  the  leaf  of  "arbor 


THE  BIG  TREES.  145 

vitae,"  while  that  of  the  ''Sequoia  Gigantca" 
is  Hke  that  of  the  cedar. 

Having  heard  that  the  largest  tree  in  the 
State  was  in  the  Tulare  Grove,  Tulare  Co., 
forty-five  miles  north-east  of  Visalia,  I  deter- 
mined to  see  it,  if  possible. 

As  it  would  not  add  more  than  sixty  miles 
to  my  horseback  ride,  north,  through  the  State, 
I  made  arrangements  with  Rev.  Mr.  Parker,  of 
the  Baptist  Church,  in  Visalia,  to  visit  the 
monster  in  company. 

We  set  out,  at  noon,  on  Monday,  June  23d. 
The  first  night  we  spent  with  a  friend  near  the 
foot-hills.  The  second,  we  camped  in  a  de- 
serted cabin,  up  among  the  pines.  The  next 
morning,  we  rose  early,  had  pressing  need  of 
our  overcoats,  ate  a  frugal  breakfast,  and 
started  for  "  Mill  Flat."  Supposed  to  be  an 
experienced  mountaineer,  by  that  time,  I  ac- 
cepted the  responsibility  of  finding  the  road, 
but  lost  it,  and  was  set  right  by  the  workmen 
in  a  shingle  camp. 

We  found  the  Flat,  picketed  our  horses,  and 
undertook  the  remaining  mile  on  foot. 
10 


146  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

Sheep,  just  from  the  plains,  ninety  miles  dis- 
tant, had  obhterated  the  trail.  However,  we 
lost  but  little  time  in  finding  the  first  "bio- 
tree."  It  proved  to  be  "The  Old  Maid." 
She  stands  lonely  and  alone.  A  few  years 
ago,  some  ungallant  speculators,  not  having 
the  fear  of  Uncle  Sam  before  their  eyes,  in- 
tended to  remove  a  section  of  her,  for  exhibi- 
tion. Workmen  began  to  girdle  her,  not  with 
gold,  but  steel ;  the  land  agent  at  Visalia,  heard 
of  it,  served  an  injunction  upon  them,  and  pre- 
vented a  case  of  monstrous  kidnapping.  The 
girdle  is  about  her  yet,  but  her  health  does 
not  seem  to  be  affected,  and  she  is  green 
and  flourishing  in  her  old  age.  I  encircled 
her  with  my  tape-line,  a  few  feet  above  ground. 
She  measured  85  feet,  10  inches. 

We  set  out  to  hunt  the  other  trees,  got 
separated;  and  when  I  had  lost  Mr.  Parker,  I 
found  the  West  Grove.  Here  the  largest, 
from  its  venerable  appearance,  had  been  named 
"Adam."  The  cruel  fire  had  cleft  him  down 
at  one  side,  presenting  a  charred  wall  twenty 
feet  wide,  and  in  the  centre,  about  twelve  feet 


THE  BIG  TREES.  I47 

high.  However,  at  four  feet  above  ground, 
he  girthed  71  feet. 

I  then  gave  up  the  trees,  and  hunted  for  Mr. 
Parker,  followed  the  trail  up  the  mountain,  a 
full  mile,  and  met  a  hunter,  who  put  me  on  the 
route  to  find  the  East  Grove. 

Supposing  now,  that  Mr.  Parker  was  really 
lost,  I  ate  my  lunch  alone,  and  then  found  the 
remaining  trees.  There  are  more  than  fifty, 
but,  by  far  the  largest,  is  the  "  General  Grant." 
One  of  the  next  largest,  is  the  "General  Lee," 
of  which  a  section  has  been  promised  for  the 
Centennial  Exhibition.  The  "Gen.  Grant"  is 
probably  the  largest  single-trunked  tree  in  the 
world.  It  is  straight,  clear  of  limbs  nearly 
one  hundred  feet,  has  a  well-proportioned  top, 
and  is  well  preserved.  At  the  base,  however, 
it  spreads  out  into  great  "humps."  Upon 
some  of  these,  you  can  climb  up,  eight  or  ten 
feet.  Fire,  too,  has  marred  the  symmetry  of 
the  ground  plan.  A  carpenter,  at  Visalia,  esti- 
mated that  it  contained  eight  hundred  thou- 
sand feet  of  lumber.  Its  height  is  about  t\\o 
hundred  and  fifty  feet.     I  applied  my  tape-line 


148  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

about  four  feet  above  ground,  and  found  the 
circumference  to  be  one  hundred  and  four  feet, 
three  inches,  giving  a  diameter  of  over  thirty- 
three  feet. 

Having  paid  my  respects  to  the  President, 
I  walked  into,  and  through  a  fallen  giant, 
named  "  Napoleon."  The  heart,  and  underside, 
had  been  burned  out.  The  papers  said,  that 
five  men  could  ride  in  abreast,  pass  through 
the  trunk  sixty  feet,  and  then  ride  out  at  a 
"knot-hole."  A  man  told  me  that  he  had 
"ridden  through,  and,  when  inside,  could  just 
reach  the  top  of  the  arch  with  his  riding 
whip."  After  taking  some  dimensions,  I  at 
first  concluded,  that  other  products  than  trees, 
grew  to  an  abnormal  size,  in  that  country. 
But  I  had  in  mind,  the  average  Pennsylvania 
horse,  and  a  riding  whip  in  proportion.  Se- 
cond thought  reduced  the  length  of  the  whip, 
as  well  as  the  height  and  thickness  of  the  pro- 
bable California  horse.  Some  of  those  Span- 
ish mustangs,  are  not  much  thicker  than  a 
Delaware  shad,  and  the  feet  of  a  tall  man, 
when  in  the  stirrups,  nearly  touch  the  ground. 


THE  BIG  TREES.  1 49 

So  the  statement  may  be  literally  true.  And 
the  knot-hole  story,  cannot  be  disproved;  for, 
after  riding  along  about  sixty  feet,  a  careful 
"  dodger"  might  safely  pass  out,  where  the 
side  of  the  tree  has  been  burned  away.  Of 
course,  the  "knot-hole,"  might  have  been 
burned  up  ! 

Returning  toward  the  Flat,  I  again  met  the 
hunter,  who  told  me  that  Mr.  Parker  had 
given  up  the   search,  and  turned  homeward. 

I  followed  and  overtook  him,  at  our  old 
camping  place.  He  had  found  the  West 
Grove,  had  spent  some  time  in  company  with 
"Adam,"  gave  me  up  as  lost,  concluded  that 
"  General  Grant"  was  not  to  be  seen  that  after- 
noon, and  returned  to  the  horses.  The  hunter 
came  along,  and  told  him  that  his  companion 
was  safe,  and  likely  to  see  the  President.  I 
teased  him  a  little  about  riding  ninety  miles, 
to  visit  such  a  distinguished  individual,  and 
then  failing  to  get  an  introduction. 

We  spent  the  night  with  Peter  Pepin,  a 
Frenchman,  distantly  related  to  King  Charle- 
magne.    And   royally    were    we    entertained. 


150  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

Excellent  feed  for  our  horses,  good  "grub" 
for  ourselves,  and  the  downy  luxury  of  a  hay- 
mow for  a  bed. 

The  next  day,  we  travelled  together,  six 
miles  further  down  the  mountain,  when  Mr. 
Parker  returned  toward  Visalia,  and  I  continued 
my  journey  northward,  alone.  Twenty-three 
miles  more  of  mountain  and  foot-hill,  brought 
me  down  to  the  plains  at  Fowler's  Ranch,  on 
King's  River,  opposite  to  Centreville.  It  was 
Thursday  night.  I  now  had  one  hundred  and 
thirty-four  miles  to  the  Mariposa  Big  Trees. 
The  next  two  days'  ride  w^as  mostly  ov'er  the 
bare,  burning  plains.  The  grass  and  flowers 
had  grown  and  ripened.  What  had  not  been 
eaten  by  the  thousands  of  cattle,  and  ten  thou- 
sands of  sheep,  had  been  swept  away  by  the 
wind.  Nothing  remained  but  the  seeds  that 
had  fallen  into  the  deep  cracks  made  by  the 
hot  sun.  The  stock  had  gathered  about  the 
water -courses,  or  had  been  driven  to  the 
mountains.  An  occasional  shade  tree  was  a 
luxury.  I  always  lay  by,  a  few  hours,  at  noon. 
The  thermometer  frequently  ran  above   100°  ; 


THE  BIG  TREES.  I5I 

once  to  1 15°,  in  the  shade.  I  was  glad  to  get 
among    the    foot-hills    and    mountains  again. 

On  the  following  Tuesday,  I  reached  Clark  & 
Moore's  Ranch,  at  the  terminus  of  the  stage- 
road  from  Mariposa  to  Yosemite. 

It  is  six  miles  by  trail  out  to  the  Mariposa 
Big  Trees.  I  concluded  to  spend  the  night 
among  them.  Clark  &  Moore's  is  four  thou- 
sand one  hundred  and  forty-one  feet  above  the 
sea.  The  grove  is  two  thousand  two  hundred 
feet  higher.  The  lonely  ride  was  grand,  the 
trees  magnificent. 

There  are  really  two  groves,  a  lower  and  an 
upper.  I  cared  chiefly  to  see  the  largest  tree. 
One  of  the  finest,  bears  the  name  of  "  La  Fay- 
ette." It  is  eighty-three  feet  in  circumference, 
and  beautiful  in  proportion.  A  prostrate  tree 
is  called  the  "Fallen  Giant."  It  is. eighty-five 
feet  in  circumference,  and  is  supposed  to  be 
fifteen  hundred  years  old. 

The  largest  in  the  grove  is  the  "  Grizzly 
Giant."  It  is  a  ponderous  tree,  but  the  top  is 
very  imperfect,  and  the  height  is  not  equal,  by 
more  than  fifty  feet,  to  that  of  the  "  General 


152  THE  GUN,   ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

Grant."  Between  fifteen  and  eighty  feet,  I 
should  think,  the  diameters  of  the  two  are  very 
nearly  alike. 

About  eighty  feet  from  the  ground,  a  huge 
limb  projects  about  twenty-five  feet,  and  then 
turns  up  at  right  angles.  It  has  been  com- 
pared to  a  boxer  "showing  the  muscle"  of  his 
arm.  A  civil  engineer  measured  it,  and  found 
the  diameter  of  the  limb  near  the  trunk  to  be 
six  feet.  The  guide  books  say,  "The  circum- 
ference of  the  tree,  seven-and-a-half  feet  above 
ground,  is  seventy-eight-and-a-half  feet,  and 
three  feet  above  ground,  over  one  hundred. 
About  four  feet  above  ground  my  tape-line 
said,  ninety  feet. 

To  indicate  fairly  the  size,  most  of  these 
"Big  Trees"  ought  to  be  measured  from  ten 
to  fifteen  feet  above  ground.  A  few  have  no 
"  humps  "  at  the  base,  but  most  of  them  have 
such  an  enormous  lateral  development  near 
the  ground,  that  to  measure  them  there  gives 
a  very  false  impression  of  the  size  of  the  tree. 

While  my  good  old  mountain  friend,  the 
robin,    sang    his    evening    song,    I    picketed 


THE  BIG  TRIES.  153 

Bill,  gave  him  the  barley  I  had  brought  from 
Clark  &  Moore's,  prepared  and  ate  my  own 
evening  meal,  spread  my  blankets  upon  a  bed 
of  fir  branches  near  the  foot  of  the  "  Grizzly 
Giant,"  and  sweetly  lay  down  to  rest.  Over 
me  was  stretched  that  mighty  bared  arm,  re- 
minding me  of  an  infinitely  mightier,  around 
and  underneath  me. 

It  is  written,  that "  it  is  not  good  for  man  to 
be  alone."  But  it  does  not  say,  that  it  is  not 
good  for  a  man  to  be  alone.  If  it  did  I  should 
doubt  the  authority.  Who  that  has  tried  it  will 
say  that  it  is  not  good,  occasionally  in  a  noisy 
lifetime,  to  get  away  from  the  habitations  of 
busy  men,  above  the  region  of  fogs,  among  the 
modest  birds,  and  timid  wild  beasts,  and  stately 
trees,  and  shadowy  mountains!  Upon  this  na- 
tural gothic  magnificence,  there  are  everj^where 
inscribed  the  words : — "  The  Lord  is  in  his  holy 
temple,  let  all  the  earth  keep  silence  before 
him."  The  night  was  wonderfully  short. 
During  one  solid  "nap"  the  world  had  turned 
around,  and  daylight  came  creeping  down 
those  "  lone  drawn  aisles." 


154  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

Six-and-a-half  o'clock  found  me  back  at 
Clark  &  Moore's.  A  good  breakfast,  a  pleasant 
company  of  tourists,  and  some  familiar  names 
on  the  register,  were  all  refreshing. 

It  was  only  twenty-three  miles  to  Yosemite. 
That  day's  light  was  to  reveal  to  me  the 
wonder  of  wonders.  Indeed,  the  "Seven 
Wonders"  are  now  condensed  into  one.  So 
the  guide  books  seemed  to  teach. 

But  before  leaving  the  subject  of  "Big 
Trees,"  I  should  state,  the  Calavaras  Grove, 
north-west  of  Yosemite,  is  the  best  known. 
They  were  first  discovered,  and  there  is  a  good 
stage-road  the  whole  distance.  The  tallest 
tree  in  the  grove  is  the  "Keystone  State."  It 
is  three  hundred  and  twenty-five  feet  high, 
but  only  forty-five  feet  in  circumference.  A  few 
years  ago,  the  largest  one  was  cut  down.  After 
being  bored  entirely  off,  about  six  feet  above 
ground,  it  refused  to  fall,  and  had  to  be  wedged 
over.  Five  men  worked  at  it  twenty-one  days. 
It  is  not  recorded  how  hard  they  worked. 
The  stump  was  smoothed  off,  and  covered 
with  a   pavilion.     It   is  twenty-seven   feet  in 


THE  BIG  TREES.  I  55 

diameter,  without  the  bark,  and  contains  one 
thousand  two  hundred  and  twenty-five  annu- 
lar growths. 

There  is  a  grove,  also,  in  Fresno  county, 
one  of  which  was  felled  several  years  ago.  I 
conversed  with  a  man  who  helped  two  others 
in  felling  it.  After  they  had  worked  five  days, 
in  digging  under  and  chopping  off  the  roots, 
the  monster  toppled  over.  They  riveted  to- 
gether three  eight-foot  cross-cut  saws,  and  cut 
off  a  section,  the  outer  portion  of  which,  divi- 
ded into  pieces,  they  carried  away  for  exhibi- 
tion.    It  was  twenty-three  feet  in  diameter. 

In  Tulare  county,  a  few  miles  south  of  the 
grove  containing  the  "  General  Grant,"  there 
is  said  to  be  a  stump  forty-fiv^e  feet  in  diame- 
ter. The  top  is  entirely  gone.  Fierce  fires 
occasionally  sweep  through  the  mountains, 
burn  up  the  dead,  and  greatly  mar  the  living 
trees.  By  many  these  are  supposed  to  be  the 
largest  trees  in  the  world.  And  while  none 
have  been  discovered  that  excel  them  in  every 
respect,  yet  there  are  some  that  exceed  them, 
each  in  one  particular.     In  Australia  there  is 


156  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

a  species  that,  with  very  moderate  height,  has 
been  found  with  a  diameter  of  eighty-one  feet. 
Another,  with  comparatively  small  diameter, 
reaches  the  enormous  height  of  four  hundred 
and  eighty  feet. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

YOSEMITE. 

'"T^HE  trail  from  Clark's  to  Paragoy's  is 
said  to  be  eleven  miles.  It  seemed  to  me 
more  like  twenty.  As  a  specimen  of  crooked- 
ness, double-twisted,  it  is  hard  to  surpass.  At 
the  end  of  the  ride,  one  may  truly  say,  "  I 
have  had  my  ups  and  downs."  But,  as  is  not 
always  the  case,  the  "  ups  "  exceed  the 
"downs"  by  about  three  thousand  feet.  The 
scenery,  though  not  sublime,  is  grand.  From 
the  mountain  sides,  you  get  rare  glimpses  of 
wooded  hills  and  deep  canyons,  of  sparkling 
streams,  dashing  down  through  narrow  gorges, 
and  magnificent  groves  of  sugar-pine  and  fir. 

At  Paragoy's,  there  are  two  trails  to  the 
valley.  One,  leading  nearly  directly  north, 
enters  the  western  or  lower  end  by  way  of 
"  Inspiration  Point."   The  other,  north-east,  by 

157 


158  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

way  of  "  Sentinel  Dome  "  and  "  Glacier  Point." 
Advice  from  those  who  had  been  over  both, 
determined  me  to  take  the  latter.  To  "  Glacier 
Point"  was  six  miles.  The  trail  led  across  a 
number  of  flats  from  which  the  last  snow  had 
disappeared  only  three  days  before,  though  it 
was  then  the  second  day  of  July. 

Several  times,  my  horse  came  very  near 
miring.  When  I  had  gone  four  miles,  "Senti- 
nel Dome"  hove  in  sight.  It  is  a  massive 
hemisphere  of  solid  granite,  almost  as  regular 
as  the  dome  of  a  cathedral,  and  it  rises  several 
hundred  feet  above  the  country  surrounding 
it  on  the  south  side. 

From  its  base  down  to  "Glacier  Point"  is 
about  a  mile,  over  a  rough  trail,  having  a  de- 
scent of  about  one  thousand  feet.  I  feared 
the  point  would  be  too  low  to  afford  a  good 
view  of  the  valley.  Having  already  been  dis- 
appointed in  some  of  the  California  wonders, 
I  was  expecting  a  repetition  of  it  here.  It  was 
six  o'clock  when  I  tied  Bill  to  one  of  the  few 
trees,  took  out  my  spy-glass  and  walked  out 
upon  the  extremity  of  the   rock.     The  sun 


YOSEMITE.  159 

shone  clearly,  but  the  silence  was  almost  op- 
pressive. The  tourist  of  the  day  had  been 
there  and  gone.  Not  even  a  bird  warbled  an 
evening  song. 

The  first  attractive  object  was  "Yosemite- 
Fall,"  about  one-and-a-half  miles  north-west, 
leaping  lightly  over  the  northern  rim  of  the 
valley.  The  verge  from  which  it  plunged  is 
about  on  a  level  with  the  "  Point."  To  the 
north-east,  about  the  same  distance,  was 
"Half Dome."  On  its  bald  summit  of  solid 
granite  lay  a  patch  of  snow.  Around  further 
to  the  right,  rose  "  Mount  Broderick,"  or  "The 
Cap  of  Liberty."  Near  it  was  "  Nevada  Fall," 
and  below  that,  "Vernal  Fall."  Sweeping 
around  again  toward  the  west,  to  the  left  of 
"Yosemite  Fall,"  you  recognize  the  "Three 
Brothers,"  and  further  down  still,  on  the  north 
side,  the  unmistakable  form  of  "El  Capitan." 
Directly  west,  on  the  south  side  of  the  valley, 
a  mile  away,  and  rising  a  few  hundred  feet 
above  the  point  where  you  stand,  is  "Sentinel 
Rock." 

The  size  of  the  valley  is  surprising.     I  had 


l6o  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

thought  of  it  being  only  two  or  three  miles 
long.  But  there  before  your  eyes  are  the  land 
marks.  From  "  Glacier  Point,"  north,  to  the 
opposite  rim,  is  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile. 
From "  El  Capitan "to  "Half  Dome"  is  not  less 
than  four  miles.  At-"  Half  Dome,"  the  valley 
forks.  The  northern,  and  smaller,  contains 
"  Mirror  Lake,"  and  is  called  "  Little  Yosemite." 
Down  the  southern,  from  those  lofty  snow- 
covered  summits,  away  to  the  east  of  you, 
flows  that  crystal  child  of  snow,  the  "  Merced." 
In  its  descent,  about  three  miles  above  "  Half 
Dome,"  it  forms  the  "Nevada"  and  "Vernal 
Falls."  The  whole  length  of  the  valley  is 
seven  miles. 

But  we  have  not  yet  seen  the  bottom! 
Have  you  a  cool  and  steady  head?  You  will 
need  it  here. 

The  rock  is  bare,  and  level  enough,  "but 
there  is  no  balustrade.  Take  it  gradually. 
Look  down  at  an  angle  of  thirty-five  degrees. 
Do  you  see  that  little  lake  in  "  Little  Yose- 
mite?" Can  it  be  water?  It  looks  like  polished 
steel,  partly  shaded  now,  for  it  will  reflect  the 


YOSEMITE.  l6l 

sun  no  more  to-day.  That  is  "  Mirror  Lake." 
The  Indians  named  it  "  Ke-ko-tu-yem" — 
"  Sleeping  Water ! "  It  has  only  seven  acres  of 
surface,  and  is  not  over  twenty  feet  deep.  But 
what  a  surface !  and  what  a  frame  for  a  mirror! 
How  easily  an  old  Greek  would  have  throned 
a  god  upon  the  summit  of  "  Half  Dome,"  just 
four  thousand  seven  hundred  and  forty  feet 
above,  have  seen  him  bathe  his  temples  in  the 
fleecy  cloud  about  his  head,  and  bend  over 
that  Mirror  to  see  divinity  reflected!  Run 
your  eye  on  down  the  northern  side  of  the 
valley,  beneath  those  "  Royal  Arches,"  sugges- 
tive of  a  masonry  mighty  and  free — the 
"Hun-to,"  or  "Watchful  Eye,"  of  the  Indian! 
Come  nearer  to  the  awful  verge.  See  the 
"JMerced,"  like  a  ribbon  of  silver,  winding  down 
through  the  meadows.  The  houses  seem  to 
be  .about  the  size  of  dog-kennels.  You  look 
well  down  into  their  diminutive  chimneys, 
whence  a  dim  smoke  issues,  rises  a  little  way 
toward  ,you,  and  vanishes.  There  are  some 
dark  specks,  that  look  like  heaps  of  hay  in  a 

well  defined  field.     There  are  winding  roads 
II 


l62  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

and  bridges,  and  horsemen,  wagons,  and  pack 
trains  moving  along  upon  them.  But  roads 
and  bridges,  trees  and  houses,  look  like  the 
playthings  that  a  child  arranges  upon  the 
floor,  and  the  animals  very  similar  to  those 
which  the  same  little  fat  hands  bring  out  of 
the  modern  Noah's  Ark.  Their  odd  appear- 
ance arises  largely  from  the  unusual  direction 
in  which  you  look  at  them.  The  view  is  such 
as  the  aeronaut  has  from  his  balloon,  and 
they  are  just  two  thousand  six  hundred  feet 
beneath  you. 

The  Indians  call  this  point  "Oo-uoo-yoo- 
wah" — "The  great  rock  of  the  Elk."  If  you 
drop  a  stone  over  the  edge,  just  here,  it  will 
fall  sixteen  hundred  feet,  before  striking  the 
debris  below. 

With  my  glass  I  examined  the  objects  more 
minutely,  as  the  prominent  ones  at  the  upper 
end  of  the  valley  reflected  the  setting  sun. 

"Nevada  Fall"  presented  a  magnificent 
appearance.  The  leap  is  seven  Juindred  feet. 
You  strain  your  ears  to  hear  it,  but  vainly,  for 
the  breeze  is  yet  setting  up  the  valley. 


YOSEMITE.  163 

Further  down  is  the  "Vernal  Fall."  It 
is  four  hundred  and  fifty  feet.  It  was  beauti- 
fully named  by  the  Indians,  "  Pi-wy-ack  " — 
"Shower  of  Crystals." 

Turning  again  down  the  valley,  I  looked 
more  carefully  at  the  "  Yosemite  Fall."  It  is 
a  marvel  of  beauty.  Shooting  clear  over  the 
bare,  perpendicular,  granite  rim  of  the  valley, 
like  Niagara,  at  the  American  side,  it  turns  at 
once  to  spray.  Very  unlike  Niagara,  how- 
ever, it  cannot  be  over  fifty  or  sixty  feet  wide, 
when  it  first  clears  the  verge.  White  as  the 
foam  on  the  pail  of  fresh  milk,  it  forms  into 
clouds,  and  these  descend  with  the  ease  and 
apparent  slowness  of  the  volumes  of  smoke 
rising  from  a  chimney  on  a  calm  morning. 
And  often,  with  the  eye,  you  can  follow  these 
separate  clouds  from  top  to  bottom.  Timing 
them  twice,  I  found  it  took  twenty  seconds. 
.The  height  of  the  first  fall  is  one  tJionsand five 
hundred zxv^  eighty-seven  feet.  Then  tumbling 
over  a  rocky  slope,  six  hundred  and  twenty- 
six  feet  further,  it  takes  a  final  plunge  of  four 
hundred  and  twenty-eight  feet. 


164  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

Shadows  were  now  covering  the  whole  bot- 
tom of  the  valley.  I  had  yet  four  miles  of 
steep  trail  before  supper  and  rest. 

Turning  westward  toward  "  Sentinel  Rock," 
I  entered  the  new  trail,  dismounted,  got  a  stick 
and  drove  Bill  down  before  me.  At  the  sharp 
elbows  of  the  trail,  he  often  stopped  and  ex- 
amined for  a  side  pass,  but  never  with  success. 

Many  suppose  that  a  road  constantly  down 
hill  is  very  easy  to  travel.  Bill  and  I  both 
concluded  otherwise,  at  the  end  of  the  first 
mile. 

In  one  weary  hour,  I  again  heard  the  sounds 
of  the  lower  world,  and  came  to  a  summer 
house  gaily  perched  upon  a  prominent  rock, 
with  the  stars  and  stripes  floating  proudly 
over  it.  At  the  end  of  the  second  hour,  I 
reached  the  bottom.  Those  four  miles  are 
more  road  under  less  sky  than  any  four  con- 
secutive miles  I  ever  traveled.  It  was  after 
nine  o'clock  when  I  reached  Hutchings'  Hotel. 

A  good  night's  rest,  a  beautiful  morning, 
an  excellent  breakfast  of  speckled  trout  and 


VOSEMITE.  165 

other  good  things,  prepared  me  to  look  around 
and  up. 

On  the  river  bank  nearly  in  front  of  the 
hotel,  were  two  Indians  catching  trout.  I 
witnessed  the  process  with  interest.  The  water 
was  four  or  five  feet  deep,  swift,  and  clear  as 
crystal.  The  color  of  the  gravel  and  boulders 
upon  the  bottom  gave  it  a  slightly  yellowish 
hue.  They  baited  with  a  small  piece  of  a 
large  sucker.  As  the  hawk  darts  upon  its 
prey,  so  those  beautiful  fish  took  the  bait,  and, 
as  gracefully  as  either,  the  young  Indian  flung 
four  of  every  five  upon  the  bank.  They  ranged 
from  four  to  eight  inches  in  length.  Upon 
the  hotel  porch,  lay  a  string  of  them,  weighing 
ten  pounds.  They  were  just  from  the  river 
on  their  way  to  the  pan. 

Some  tourists  were  rigging  tackle  to  try 
their  luck.  But  it  is  said  that  the  Indians 
always  excel.  There  is  some  .kind  of  a 
"league,"  not  only  between  them  and  the 
•'beasts  of  the  field,"  but  also  the  fish  of  the 
streams.  As  the  mother  pigeon  feeds  her 
young  with  prepared  food,  so  these  Indians 


1 66  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

will  partially  masticate  even  worms,  to  make 
a  tempting  bait  for  these  wily  denizens  of  the 
crystal  flood. 

This  was  the  third  of  July.  On  the 
"  Fourth,"  there  was  to  be  a  celebration  in  the 
valley.  At  Clark  &  Moore's  I  had  seen  an 
enormous  poster,  announcing  the  fact  and 
giving  an  outline  of  the  edifying   exercises. 

The  following  items  of  interest  were  in- 
cluded: 

1.  An  Indian  was  to  ascend  a  rocky  cliff  at 
the  "  Yosemite  Fall,"  and  "plant  the  American 
flag  where  human  foot  had  never  trod." 

2.  There  was  to  be  a  "  sack  race,"  by  several 
men  of  eminent  ability  in  that  progressive  art. 

3.  A  chase  after  a  "greased  pig" — the 
captor  to  hold  the  prize ! 

When  I  spoke  of  seeing  the  valley  that 
day  and  leaving,  a  gentleman  expressed  sur- 
prise that  I  did  not  "  remain  to  see  the  cele- 
bration." I  remarked  that  that  was  my  chief 
reason  for  leaving,  and  that  anybody  who 
could  descend  to  such  business,  in  such  a 
place,  ought  to  leave  the  country. 


YOSEMITE.  167 

Having  previously  studied  a  plan  of  the 
valley,  and  having  had  a  general  view  from 
"Glacier  Point,"  at  eight  o'clock,  I  mounted 
Bill,  acted  as  my  own  guide,  and  rode  up  to 
"Mirror  Lake,"  passing  the  "Royal  Arches" 
to  my  left,  and  under  the  dark  shadow  of 
"Half  Dome"  to  my  right. 

At  the  entrance  to  "  Little  Yosemite,"  and 
well  up  toward  the  lake,  are  immense  masses 
of  rock,  which  had  evidently  fallen  from  the 
impending  cliffs  on  either  side.  The  trail 
surmounted  and  wound  among  them.  Had 
it  not  been,  that  they  seemed  to  have  fallen 
ages  ago,  and  for  the  large  trees  and  brush 
growing  upon  them,  it  would  take  a  stout 
heart  to  pass  up  that  gorge  without  hesitation. 
At  the  lake,  among  the  rocks  and  fir  trees, 
was  a  small  excursion  house  with  boats  and 
fishing  tackle.  A  young  gentleman  and  lady 
Avere  out  in  a  boat.  The  waves  they  made 
threw  the  granite  walls  beyond  into  moving 
folds. 

Returning  by  way  of  Hutchings',  I  passed 
down  the  northern  side  of  the  valley,  and  had 


1 68  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

a  near  and  new  view  of  "Yosemite  Fall." 
That  volume  of  foam  that  was  swayed  by  the 
morning  breeze,  and  seemed  so  misty  in  the 
distance,  makes  grand  music  when  you  are 
near,  and  forms  a  swift  stream,  twenty-feet  wide, 
that  sweeps  well  up  your  saddle  girth  at  the 
ford. 

A  little  further  down,  I  had  a  good  view  of 
"Sentinel  Rock,"  on  the  south  side  of  the  val- 
ley, and  caught  occasional  glimpses  of  the  trail 
by  which  I  had  descended  the  previous  evening. 
"Sentinel  Rock"  is  a  magnificent  pile,  three 
thousand  and  forty-three  feet  in  height. 
Though  it  appears  to  stand  well  out  from  the 
top  of  the  southern  wall,  yet  its  very  summit 
may  be  reached  from  the  rear. 

Lower  down,  I  met  the  "Three  Brothers." 
They  rise  out  of  the  northern  wall,  and  each 
of  the  rear  ones  seems  to  be  leaning  forward, 
as  though  to  look  over  the  other's  shoulder. 
They  are  three  thousand  eight  hundred  feet 
high,  and  from  their  peculiar  position,  the 
Indians  named  them,  "  Pom-pom-pa-sue " — 
"  Mountains  playing  leap-frog." 


YOSEMITE.  169 

To  my  left,  now,  were  the  "Cathedral 
Rocks"  and  "Cathedral  Spires;"  the  former, 
two  thousand  six  hundred  and  sixty,  and  the 
latter,  two  thousand  four  hundred  feet  in 
height. 

But  the  king  of  all  these  kingly  forms  was 
now  just  ahead,  to  my  right,  viz :  "  El  Capitan." 
The  Indians  call  it,  "  Tu-tok-ah-nu-lah" — 
"The  Great  Chief  of  the  Valley." 

This  cliff  has  two  faces,  one  fronting  a  little 
to  the  east  of  south,  the  other  a  little  west. 
The  south-eastern  face  is  a  full  half  mile  long, 
horizontally,  joining  in  one  seamless  granite 
wall  with  the  northern  side  of  the  valley. 
The  western,  is  only  half  so  long,  and  bends 
around  more  abruptly.  The  height  is  three 
thousand  three  hundred  feet,  and  in  places,  it 
is  not  only  perpendicular,  but  it  leans  slightly 
over  the  base.  No  description  can  do  it  jus- 
tice. I  have  studied  both  photographs,  paint- 
ings, and  word  pictures.  Actual  sight  is 
necessar}^  Then,  it  is  not  only  seen,  but  also, 
felt. 

It  is    said,  that  a   man    familiar   with   the 


I/O  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

scenery  at  Niagara,  took  a  stranger  friend 
from  point  to  point,  and  failed  to  get  from  him 
any  expression  of  surprise.  The  American 
Fall  was  viewed  from  Goat  Island.  It  was 
"quite  pretty."  They  looked  at  the  Horse- 
shoe Fall  from  Terrapin  Tower.  "Yes,  it  is 
considerable  of  a  fall." 

Hoping  to  get  him  overwhelmed  with  ad- 
miration in  some  way,  as  a  last  resort,  he  took 
him  below.  They  looked  up.  Not  a  word 
of  surprise.  Indeed,  he  seemed  to  be  surprised 
that  anybody  could  get  surprised  at  it. 

"But  don't  you  see  that  tremendous  body 
of  water  pouring  over  those  huge  rocks?" 

"Ye-yes.  I  don't  see  anything  to  hinder 
it.r' 

Whatever  be  the  experience  at  Niagara, 
that  in  the  presence  of  "  El  Capitan "  will 
greatly  differ,  both  in  nature  and  degree. 
While  the  former  may  fitly  represent  the  force, 
the  dash,  and  the  noisy  roar  of  the  human  and 
changeable,  the  latter  silently  proclaims  the 
reserved  omnipotence  and  eternity  of  the 
Divine! 


yOSEMITE.  171 

Think  a  few  moments.  Look  at  those 
spruce  and  fir  trees,  growing  on  the  debris  at 
the  base.  Cut  off  the  limbs,  and  take  that  tall 
one  for  a  measuring  stick.  It  is  one  hundred 
and  fifty  feet  high.  Both  to  see  clearly,  and 
for  the  comfort  of  your  neck,  stand  back  a 
quarter  of  a  mile.  Apply  the  measuring  rod. 
Shove  it  up,  length  by  length,  as  the  carpenter 
uses  his  rule  to  measure  the  height  of  a  wall. 
Now,  carefully.  One,  two,  three,  four,  five, 
six,  seven,  eight,  nine,  ten !  Rest  a  little.  You 
are  now  up  one  thousand  five  hundred  feet — 
as  high  as  six  tall  church  steeples,  one  on  top 
of  the  other.  Now  again:  one,  two,  three, 
four,  five,  six,  seven,  eight,  nine,  ten!  You 
are  out  of  breath  and  chilly.  We  must  hasten. 
Three  hundred  feet  more,  and  here  we  are 
upon  the  summit.  There  is  a  cloud  about 
our  heads.  The  brain  grows  dizzy.  De- 
scend. 

Try  another  plan.  You  have  been  over 
your  neighbor's  farm.  It  contains  one  hun- 
dred acres.  It  is  quite  a  territory.  Add  to 
it  four  more  farms   of  the   same  size.     Clear 


1/2  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

off  from  these  five  hundred  acres  all  the  trees, 
fences,  and  buildings.  Leave  nothing  but  the 
bare  ground,  slightly  rolling,  and  imagine  that 
turned  into  solid  granite,  almost  without  a 
crevice.  Now  you  have  a  surface  about  three- 
fourths  of  a  mile  each  way.  Dig  it  loose  from 
the  surrounding  country  all  around.  Under- 
mine it.  Get  a  hundred  thousand  giants,  with 
a  hundred  thousand  jack-screws,  and  set  it  up 
plumb,  on  edge!  You  have  the  face  of  "El 
Capitan  ! " 

While  riding  along  that  northern  wall,  and 
looking  up  at  those  revelations  of  infinite 
strength,  I  realized,  as  never  before,  the  force 
of  the  Scripture:  "Which  by  his  strength  set- 
teth  fast  the  mountains,  being  girded  with 
power."  Ps.  Ixv.  6.  Previously,  when  among 
impending  cliffs,  I  had  breathed  a  prayer 
that  they  might  be  upheld  until  I  should  get 
out;  but  never  was  the  arm  of  the  Almighty 
so  evidently  uncovered  before  my  eyes,  as 
when  passing  down  this  valley. 

The  impression  upon  every  thoughtful  mind 
is  deep.     Sometimes  it  is  overpowering.    On 


YOSEMITE.  173 

the  trail  toward  Gentry's,  later  in  the  day,  I 
met  two  men  from  Illinois,  on  their  way  down. 
They  succeeded  in  getting  up  as  far  as 
Hutchings',  After  remaining  an  hour,  they 
turned  about,  and  came  directly  back,  the 
same  afternoon.  When  asked  why,  they  said, 
they  could  not  explain  it,  only  that  the  im- 
pression upon  their  minds  was  insupportable. 
They  appeared  to  be  intelligent  men. 

On  the  south  side  of  the  valley,  a  half  mile 
below  "El  Capitan,"  like  a  scarf  of  white  lace, 
hanging  from  the  shoulder  of  a  goddess,  is 
the  "  Bridal  Veil."  The  fall  is  nine  hundred 
feet.  The  wind  blowing  up  the  valley,  swayed 
it  to  and  fro,  while  rainbows  hung  in  its  grace- 
ful folds. 

I  went  slowly  up  the  miserable  trail,  on  the 
north  side,  toward  Gentry's,  often  looking 
back  to  catch  another  parting  view  of  "  Yose- 
mitc" — the  "Great  Grizzly  Bear."  The  Indian 
name  is  the  more  beautiful,  "  Ah-wah-ncc." 

I  met  sev^eral  parties  on  their  way  down. 
Some,  to  see  the  valley;  others,  in  honor  of 


1/4  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE 

their    noble    country's    birth,    to    chase    the 
greased  pig. 

Some  were  enthusiastic  as  they  were  dusty. 
Others  were  disgusted  with  the  wretched  trail, 
the  poor  beasts,  and  the  poorer  saddles  on 
which  they  rode. 

Among  others  I  met,  were  two  young  gen- 
tlemen, as   sprucely  dressed   as   divinity  stu- 
dents.    They  looked  quite  professional.     We 
mutually  halted,  though  our  horses  were  at 
an  angle  of  nearly  forty-five  degrees. 
"  How  far  yet  to  the  bottom?" 
"About  three-quarters  of  a  mile." 
"Three-quarters  of  a  mile!     What  a  con- 
founded set  of  liars !     They  told  us  at  Gentry's 
that  it  was  only  three  miles  to  the  foot  of  the 
trail,  and  I  am  sure  we  have  conie  five  al- 
ready." 

"A  new  road  like  this  seems  long." 
As  they  slid  on  down  among  the  dust  and 
loose  stones,  I  heard  some  additional  language 
that  convinced  me,  they  were  not  paying  much 
attention  to  divinity. 

The  impressions  of  "Yosemite"  can  never 


YOSEMITE.  175 

be  forgotten.  It  is  a  valley  "  sni  generis." 
Even  without  the  awful  framework  in  which 
it  is  set,  the  place  is  a  gem  of  rare  beauty  in 
itself  The  "Merced"  is  as  pure  as  opaline 
crystal.  The  magnificent  trees  upon  its  banks, 
the  evergreens,  and  the  level  meadows  on 
either  hand,  make  it  a  beautiful  place  in  which 
to  live.  The  climate  is  enjoyable  the  whole 
year  round.  There  is  some  good  stock  in  the 
pastures,  the  roads  and  bridges  are  in  good 
order,  and  the  houses  and  hotels  are  credit- 
able structures. 

The  whole  valley  is  set  apart  by  National 
and  State  authority,  and  is  under  control  of  a 
Superintendent.  No  one  is  allowed  to  mar 
the  natural  scenery,  either  by  chopping  down 
the  trees,  or  that  worse  modern  vice,  painting 
advertisements  on  the  rocks.  Here  is,  at  last, 
one  spot  on  earth,  where  the  tourist  can  see 
the  works  of  God  without  being  compelled, 
at  the  same  time,  to  take  patent  medicine. 

Many  persons  go  in  there,  in  the  early  sum- 
mer, and  camp.  At  the  date  I  was  there,  their 
stock  had  eaten  up  nearly  all  the  grass,  excep- 


1/6  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

ting  what  was  enclosed  in  fields.  For  a  gun, 
there  is  but  little  use.  For  the  rod  and  line, 
unceasing  employment. 

In  wild  and  rugged  scenery,  the  Sierra  Ne- 
vadas,  about  the  head  waters  of  Kaweah  and 
Kings  Rivers,  excel  "  Yosemite."  But  for  mag- 
nificent domes  and  unbroken  granite  walls, 
"Yosemite"  is  in  advance  of  all  the  known 
world  beside.  While  in  some  California  won- 
ders, I  had  been  disappointed,  in  "Yosemite"  I 
was  not.  It  was  more  than  had  been  told.  And 
so,  simply,  because  words  are  not  adequate  to 
the  task.  Making  due  allowance  for  all  the 
discomforts  of  travel  both  by  sea  and  land,  I 
should  nevertheless  say,  that  it  is  well  worth  a 
journey  of  three  thousand  miles,  to  spend  one 
hour  upon  "Glacier  Point."  And  it  is  worth 
an  equal  journey,  to  stand  below  and  look  up 
at  "El  Capitan."  They  who  have  had  the 
privilege  ought  to  be  both  humbler  and  bold- 
er, wiser  and  better. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


THE    GEYSERS. 


TT^ROM  Yosemite  via  Garrote,  Chinese 
Camp,  Knight's  Ferry,  Stockton,  San 
Francisco,  Petaluma,  and  Healdsburg  to  "The 
Geysers,"  is  three  hundred  and  fifty-two  miles. 
I  reached  Garrote  on  Friday  evening,  July 
4th.  The  gentleman  at  my  side,  at  supper 
table,  proved  to  be  the  Sunday-school  Super- 
intendent. Our  conversation  developed  my 
own  occupation,  and  he  gave  me  a  pressing 
invitation  to  remain  over  Saturday  and  Sun- 
day. The  place  had  once  been  a  flourishing 
mining  town.  They  had  an  excellent  school- 
house,  and  formerly,  regular  preaching.  Now, 
the  quartz  mills  were  going  to  ruin,  most  of  the 
mines  were  deserted,  and  the  majority  of  the 
people  had  moved  away.  They  had  preach- 
ing only  occasionally,  as  some  bold  itinerant 
12  177 


178  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

Methodist,  or  Cumberland  Presbyterian,  would 
come  up  into  the  mountains,  and  give  them  a 
sermon;  and  the  Sunday-school  was  all  they 
had  left. 

Most  of  the  remaining  population  was  Ro- 
man Catholic.  A  priest  came  around  regularly 
to  look  after  them,  but  the  community  had  no 
confidence  in  his  piety.  They  could  scarcely 
be  expected  to  have,  for  just  on  the  previous 
evening,  he  rode  through  the  village  intoxi- 
cated, and  when  he  came  to  the  fork  of  the 
road,  his  horse  bore  to  the  right,  he  kept 
ahead,  and  fell  helpless  into  the  road.  Then 
his  people  had  to  look  after  him.  And  the 
like  had  frequently  occurred  before. 

*At  a  later  hour  I  met  Mr.  Foote,  the  gen- 
tlemanly proprietor  of  the  hotel,  and  also  his 
excellent  family.  I  consented  to  remain.  The 
Sunday-school  numbered  about  thirty.  They 
were  bright  and  orderly.  None  of  the  officers 
were  professors  of  religion,  but  they  believed 
in  the  Sunday-school,  and  kept  it  up  for  the 
sake  of  their  children.  I  made  a  brief  address. 
The  majority  remained  for  service,  and  a  very 


THE  GEYSERS.  1/9 

few  others  gathered  in.  As  there  was  no 
physician  present  to  forbid  me,  I  preached  as 
an  experiment,  for  the  first  time  in  nineteen 
months.  The  little  company  heard  attentively, 
while  the  preacher  once  more  enjoyed  the 
privilege  of  proclaiming  to  men,  "  Ho,  every 
one  that  thirsteth,  come  ye  to  the  waters,  and 
he  that  hath  no  money;  come  ye,  buy,  and 
eat;  yea,  come,  buy  wine  and  milk  without 
money  and  without  price."  Is.  Iv.  i.  The 
day  passed  most  pleasantly  with  that  kind, 
warm-hearted  people. 

But  this  seems  to  have  little  to  do  with  "The 
Geysers."  However  it  may  be  to  the  reader, 
to  the  writer,  a  Sunday  and  a  Sunday-school 
in  such  a  rough  mountain  village,  are  far 
sweeter  than  the  sulphurous  fumes  from  the 
crater  of  a  slumbering  volcano.  To  make  up 
for  lost  time,  we  will  take  a  leap  of  three  hun- 
dred miles,  and  alight  upon  the  new  stage- 
road  above  Healdsburg.  It  is  a  good  piece 
of  work,  and  there  is  some  fine  driving  done 
on  it.  Although  the  summit  of  the  highest 
mountain  crossed  is  three  thousand  two  hun- 


l8o  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

dred  feet  high,  yet  the  grade  is  so  easy,  and  the 
road  way  so  smooth,  that  they  pass  over  it  in  a 
sharp  trot,  and  some  parts  at  full  gallop.  There 
are  thirty-five  sharp  turns  in  the  road,  and 
along-side,  some  fearful  precipices  where  there 
is  not  a  foot  to  spare.  The  morning  stage  came 
up  behind  me  in  the  mountain.  I  had  barely 
time,  by  spurring  forward,  to  get  to  a  place 
wide  enough  to  let  it  pass.  The  driving  was 
frightful.  They  say,  however,  that  accidents 
seldom  occur.  Their  harness,  vehicles,  and 
drivers,  are  all  first-class,  and  the  saying,  "As 
poor  as  a  stage  horse,"  would  be  without 
point  in  California. 

Yet,  as  I  rode  on,  I  could  not  help  looking 
down  into  the  fearful  ravines,  expecting  to  find 
them  dashed  to  pieces.  I  was  the  more  sen- 
sitive, as  in  coming  down  from  Yosemite,  a 
few  miles  below  Hodgeson's,  I  saw  the  wreck 
of  a  stage  that  had  upset  only  the  day  before. 
There  were  twelve  passengers.  Markley,  an 
old  and  skillful  dri\'er,  held  the  reins.  Coming 
down  an  easy  grade  at  a  sharp  trot,  the  leaders 
shied  at  a  lunch  paper  lying  against  the  b?nk. 


THE  GEYSERS.  l8l 

In  a  moment,  stage,  horses,  and  all,  were  roll- 
ing over  and  over  down  the  hill.  Fortunately 
the  hill  was  not  steep,  nor  were  there  any 
rocks  or  large  trees  close  to  the  road.  The 
top  broke  clear  off  the  stage,  at  the  first  revo- 
lution, and  the  whole  mass  of  passengers  re- 
mained in  it,  about  fifty  feet  from  the  road. 
The  body  and  running  gear  went  a  full  hun- 
dred feet  further,  and,  with  the  team,  were 
stopped  by  a  big  oak  tree.  Of  all  the  passen- 
gers not  a  bone  was  broken.  I  saw  some  of 
them  both  at  Hodgeson's  and  Garrote.  They 
were  bruised — some  of  them  severely — and 
were  unable  to  tell  how  it  was  that  they  were 
not  all  killed.  One  of  them,  limping  around 
on  a  stick,  used  bitter  language,  and  seemed 
to  be  sorry  that  they  were  not. 

But  about  "The  Geysers."  Pluton  Creek 
flows  from  "  The  Geysers,"  westward,  and  emp- 
ties into  Russian  River,  just  north  of  Clover- 
dale.  Embowered  among  trees,  the  hotel  at 
"The  Geysers"  stands  upon  the  south  bank  of 
the  creek.  The  spot  is  a  charming  one  in  itself 
Just    opposite,    opening    in    from  the    north, 


I  82  THE  (iUiN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

almost  at  right  angles  to  Pluton,  is  "Geyser 
Canyon."  The  hill  in  which  it  is  cleft  is  pro- 
bably fifteen  hundred  feet  high.  The  canyon, 
or  ravine  more  properly,  is  scarce  a  half  mile 
long,  the  sides  are  irregular,  very  steep,  and 
almost  wholly  without  vegetation.  The  earth 
composing  them  looks  like  a  mixture  of  brick- 
dust  and  sulphur.  Volumes  of  steam  con- 
stantly issue  from  it. 

After  crossing  the  foot-bridge  over  Pluton 
Creek,  you  find  two  trails,  one  to  the  left, 
entering  the  canyon  from  below,  the  other  to 
the  right,  passing  around  the  outer  rim  and 
entering  at  the  upper  end.  I  took  the  latter. 
To  the  right  of  the  steep  ascent  are  hot  sul- 
phur springs,  the  water  from  some  of  which 
is  conducted  into  little  bath-houses,  where 
those  wishing  it  can  get  either  a  vapor  or 
shower  bath.  A  little  higher  up,  the  spongy 
earth  is  full  of  sulphur  and  other  suspi- 
cious minerals.  Further  on,  the  abund- 
ant contents  are  literally  boiling  over,  the 
ground  is  hot  and  tremulous,  steam  is  hissing 


THE  GEYSERS.  1 83 

through,  and  beautiful  cr}'stals  of  pure  sulphur 
are  hanging  about  the  seething  vents. 

Descending  into  the  ravine,  and  looking 
downward,  you  get  a  very  impressive  view. 
Nor  is  the  view  one-half  of  the  whole.  You 
hear  sounds  the  most  ominous,  and  smell 
odors  the  most  villainous.  Right  here,  in  the 
exalted  center,  is  an  eminence  about  fifteen 
feet  high.  It  is  "  composed  of  sulphurous 
earth,  and  you  recognize  it  at  once  as  "The 
Devil's  Pulpit."  Probably  considering  the 
fact  that  the  owner  has  a  good  deal  of  interest 
in  this  .country,  somebody  had  planted  upon 
it  a  rough  pole,  bearing  a  tattered  specimen  of 
the  American  flag.  Without  any  invitation 
from  the  presiding  genius,  I  mounted  the 
"Pulpit"  and  surveyed  the  surroundings. 
They  are  emphatically  infernal.  All  around 
were  piles  of  sulphur  and  other  chemicals. 
Some  mixed  with  earth,  some  in  crystals,  some 
in  solution,  and  others  fl>'ing  off  in  vapor. 
Away  down  below  was  the  "Witches'  Cal- 
dron." There  was  evidently  a  big  fire  under 
it.     The 


184  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

"  Eye  of  newt  and  toe  of  frog, 
Wool  of  bat  and  tongue  of  dog, 
Adder's  fork  and  blind-worm's  sting, 
Lizard's  leg  and  owlet's  wing," 

were  all  in,  and  violently  cooking.  It  was 
easy  to  join  in  the  chorus, 

"Double,  double,  toil  and  trouble — 
Fire  burn  and  boiler  bubble." 

Down  there,  also,  were  the  "  Devil's  Ink  Bot- 
tle," and  the  "  Devil's  Apothecary  Shop." 
The  supply  and  variety  of  drugs  were  enor- 
mous. Amid  all  these  horrible  surroundings, 
the  "Devil's  Grist  Mill"  was  blowing  off 
steam,  while  on  his  pulpit,  were  a  superannua- 
ted flag,  and  a  supernumerary  preacher. 

Conscious  of  incapacity  to  fill  such  a  pulpit, 
and  do  justice  to  the  occasion,  I  hastened 
down,  to  more  carefully  see  the  sights,  hear 
the  sounds,  and  smell  the  smells.  The  latter, 
are  so  strong  that  you  can  readily  taste  them, 
too.  I  thrust  my  little  thermometer,  which 
registered  only  130°,  into  one  of  the  springs. 
The  mercury  struck  the  top  of  the  tube  in  a 
moment.  At  another,  I  saw  an  apparatus  on 
the  end  of  a  pole,  for  cooking  eggs. 


THE  GEYSERS.  1 85 

The  greatest  curiosity  is  in  the  east  bank  of 
the  canyon.  Here,  at  one  place,  are  numerous 
vents  and  openings  in  the  rocks  and  sulphur- 
ous earth.  You  hear  a  regular  succession  of 
heavy  thumps,  like  the  strokes  of  a  large  en- 
gine in  an  old  rickety  mill,  feel  the  hot  ground 
tremble  under  your  feet,  and  see  the  fierce 
steam  escaping  and  the  regular  pulsations 
of  the  water  rising  and  falling  in  the  holes. 
That  there  are  enormous  steam  works  just 
inside,  there  can  be  no  doubt.  They  are 
known  as  "The  Devil's  Grist  Mill."  They 
seemed  to  be  appropriately  named,  for  the 
only  meal  made  is  flour  of  sulphur. 

Seeing  no  hope  of  doing  any  good,  as  the 
place  was  wholly  devoted  to  witches  and  his 
Satanic  majesty,  I  hurried  out  of  that  "  bad 
place,"  hoping  never  to  see,  hear  or  smell  its 
like  again. 

Later  in  the  day,  in  going  westward  toward 
Cloverdale,  I  found  the  north  hill-side  a  mile 
below  "Geyser  Canyon"  of  the  same  volcanic 
formation.  Both  to  the  practical  Chemist  and 
to  the  Geologist,  a  visit  to  the  place  would  be 


I  86  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

of  much  more  than  ordinary  interest.  To  the 
unprofessional,  it  is  simply  a  great  wonder,  yet 
well  worth  a  visit. 

Eleven  miles  of  the  new  stage-road  from 
Cloverdale  were  then  finished.  By  this  nearly 
level  road,  it  is  now  reached  in  two  hours. 
The  excitement  and  danger  of  the  wild  moun- 
tain ride,  over  the  Healdsburg  road,  are  ex- 
changed for  the  shorter  route. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


MENDOCINO. 


IV/TENDOCINO  County  has  a  coast  line 
of  about  one  hundred  miles.  Extend- 
ing inland,  about  sixty  miles,  to  the  Coast 
Range,  it  is  about  twice  as  large  as  the  State 
of  Delaware.  It  is  heavily  timbered,  very 
mountainous,  well  watered,  and  abounds  in 
fish  and  game.  It  contains  several  lakes,  and 
some  magnificent  valleys,  among  which  are 
Anderson,  Round,  Potter,  Eden,  Long,  and 
Little  Lake  valleys.  Near  its  centre  is  the 
dividing  ridge  between  the  Eel  and  Russian 
rivers,  the  former  flowing  northward,  the 
latter  toward  the  south.  There  are  also 
numerous  streams  that  empty  into  the  Pacific 
within  its  own  coast  line.  One  of  the  largest 
of  these  is  called  Rio  Grande,  or  "Big  River." 

Having    a   brother    living    in    Little    Lake 

187 


155  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

valley,  I  was  on  my  way  north,  to  spend  a 
couple  of  months  with  him.  To  visit  the 
Geysers  added  only  about  twenty  miles  to  my 
ride,  and  on  leaving  them,  I  finished  the  re- 
mainder of  my  journey  in  two  days.  Bill  was 
tired  enough,  and  so  was  his  rider;  but  both 
were  in  good  condition.  Indeed,  life  in  the 
saddle  was  becoming  quite  normal,  and  I  once 
thought  seriously  of  returning  east  by  that 
mode  of  conveyance.  Next  to  "travel  afoot," 
it  affords  the  best  opportunity  to  know  the 
country  and  its  people.  It  is  slow,  but  very 
satisfactory.  The  longest  ride  I  made,  in  a 
day,  was  only  about  forty  miles,  which  some 
good  walkers  would  readily  accomplish. 
Among  rough  mountain  trails  I  found  two- 
thirds  of  that  distance  quite  sufficient. 
While  company  would  be  preferable,  yet 
there  are  some  advantages  in  travelling  alone. 
On  the  much  used  roads  and  trails,  dust  is  a 
very  serious  annoyance,  both  to  stage  and 
saddle-train.  Alone,  }'ou  have  no  dust  but 
your  own,  and  th?,t  can  be  avoided.  Then 
v/hen  you  are  tired,  the  whole  caravan  is  tired, 


MENDOCINO.  189 

and  is  willing  to  rest.  When  you  want  to  go, 
the  whole  caravan  wants  to  go,  and  there  is  no 
grumbling.  My  expenses  averaged  about 
three  dollars  a  day,  for  self  and  horse. 

At  Stockton,  I  had  tried  to  sell  my  horse 
and  out-fit,  intending  to  finish  by  river,  rail, 
and  coach.  For  excellent  saddle,  bridle, 
blankets,  picket-rope  and  horse,  the  only  dealer 
who  would  make  me  an  offer  at  all,  offered 
me  the  value  of  the  saddle  and  blankets  alone! 
There  was  no  sale,  and  I  was  subsequently 
glad  for  my  good,  faithful  horse. 

Little  Lake  Valley  is  a  gem.  It  is  elliptical 
in  form,  about  eight  miles  from  north  to  south, 
and  four  from  east  to  west.  Heavy  groves  of 
oak  are  scattered  through  the  valley,  and 
numerous  springs  constitute  the  source  of  Eel 
river.  Around,  rise  the  mountains,  from  five 
hundred  to  two  thousand  feet  high.  Some 
are  covered  with  manzanita  and  oak,  others 
with  pine,  red-wood  and  fir.  On  some  of  the 
lower  hills  and  pasture  lands,  the  red  trunks 
and  brilliant  green  leaves  of  the  madroniic  add 
variety.     They  look  like  giant  laurels. 


190  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

One  of  my  first  expeditions  was  for  moun- 
tain trout;  but  it  was  almost  an  utter  failure. 
My  hook,  line,  pole,  and  hands  Avere  all  too 
unwieldly  to  take  those  active  little  sprites 
from  their  crystal  hiding  places.  At  a  ranch, 
up  among  the  hills,  I  got  a  thread,  and  made  a 
finer  line.  I  then  rigged  a  less  hook  on  a 
very  small  pole.  A  little  bare-foot  boy,  who 
understood  the  business,  got  his  tackle,  and 
went  with  me  down  into  the  dark,  rocky  ra- 
vine. He  could  catch  three  to  my  one,  though 
I  lost  more  bait  than  he.  That  there  was  high 
art  in  fishing,  dawned  slowly  upon  my  mind. 

In  my  boyhood  days,  many  were  the  long 
strings  of  "red-fins,"  "  sunnys,"  "chubs"  and 
"cat-fish"  that  I  had  taken  from  the  old 
Conestoga.  These  required  a  wholly  different 
treatment.  Evening  found  me  on  my  way 
home,  after  travelling  about  six  miles,  a  large 
part  of  the  way  over  rocks  and  among  brush, 
with  a  string  of  thirteen  little  trout,  the  largest 
of  which  was  not  over  seven  inches. 

Having  learned  a  little  by  experience,  I 
made  a   line   of  fine  black   silk,   twisted   and 


MENDOCINO.  191 

doubled.  To  this  was  attached  a  very  small 
hook.  A  Httle  pepper-wood  rod,  the  size  of 
a  carriage  whip,  constituted  the  pole.  Thus 
furnished,  a  company  of  us  started  early  one 
morning,  and  drove  six  miles  to  Blosser's 
saw-mill,  in  a  red-wood  canyon.  The  stream 
was  very  low,  but  in  places  there  were  deep 
crystal  pools,  with  drift-wood  and  huge  red- 
wood logs  in  and  around  them.  By  going 
carefully,  and  slyly  dropping  the  baited  hook 
over  a  log,  we  caught  a  few.  Mr.  Blosser 
could  catch  them  nearly  as  fast  as  he  could 
throw  in  his  hook.  However,  fortune  favored 
me  for  once.  Standing  on  a  log,  four  or  five 
feet  in  diameter,  a  portion  of  which  was  under 
water,  I  dropped  my  hook  quietly  down. 
A  big  fish-head  reached  out,  took  it,  and  with- 
drew. I  thought,  of  course,  he  would  soon 
break  my  little  thread  and  get  away,  but  con- 
cluded to  worry  him  awhile.  My  line  was 
only  three  feet  long,  and  I  just  kept  it  gently 
stretched.  He  floundered  about  wildh',  under 
the  log.  In  five  minutes,  he  showed  signs  of 
weariness.     Tightening  up  on  him  gradually, 


192  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

I  led  him  out  in  sight.  He  was  a  splendid 
speckled  trout.  He  soon  became  perfectly 
docile,  and  I  led  him  along  to  shallow  "water, 
at  the  end  of  the  pool,  and  caught  him.  He 
was  nineteen  inches  long,  and  weighed  two 
pounds. 

In  several  pools,  through  this  canyon,  were 
a  few  salmon  trout  still  larger.  They  seldom 
bite  at  a  hook,  and  it  is  almost  impossible  to 
spear  them,  because  of  the  depth  of  the  water, 
and  their  secure  hiding-places  under  the  banks 
and  projecting  roots  of  trees.  At  certain 
times  in  the  day,  they  come  out  and  swim 
around,  sometimes  within  a  few  inches  of  the 
surface.     Then  they  may  be  shot  with  ball. 

One  day  I  accompanied  Mr.  Blosser,  to  try 
to  secure  some  of  them.  "Betsy"  had  come 
by  express,  and,  of  course,  she  was  along.  Mr. 
Blosser  had  a  little  German  rifle  that  carried 
a  very  large  ball.  Reaching  the  ground,  we 
crept  quietly  through  the  bushes  to  the  edge 
of  the  pool,  where  Mr.  Blosser  knew  there 
were  two.  When  we  rose,  side  by  side,  with 
our  guns  cocked,  there  they  were  swimming 


MENDOCINO.  193 

around,  as  if  taking  their  morning  exercise. 
Splendid  fellows  they  were,  too,  fully  two  feet 
long,  one  leading,  the  other  following. 

The  water  was  clear  as  the  sky,  and  they 
were  a  foot  beneath  the  surface.  Mr.  Blosser 
said  it  was  useless  to  shoot  when  they  were 
lower  than  eight  inches,  and  that  it  was  very 
uncertain  below  six.  While  we  conversed  in 
whispers,  they  made  another  circuit  and  came 
nearer  the  surface.  They  were  about  five  feet 
below  us,  and  only  fifteen  distant.  When 
they  came  opposite  again,  we  each  singled  a 
fish,  aimed  well  under,  to  allow  both  for  the 
refraction  of  the  light  and  for  the  reflection  of 
the  ball,  counted  "one,"  "two,"  and  "bang" 
went  both  guns  at  once.  The  water  flew,  and 
when  the  smoke  was  gone,  so  were  the  fish. 
Really  believing  that  we  could  not  have  anni- 
hilated them  utterly,  we  loaded  up  again,  and 
watched.  In  less  than  a  half-hour,  one  came 
out.  At  Mr.  Blosser's  request,  I  tried  again. 
The  ball  pierced  him  above  the  gills  and  nearly 
severed  the  head.  He  was  twenty-six  inches 
long,  and  v;eighed  six  and  a  half  pounds. 
13 


194  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

Mr.  Blosser  knew  where  there  were  two  more, 
a  mile  further  up  the  canyon.  We  went,  and 
had  an  interesting  time. 

Lengthwise,  through  the  pool,  lay  an  im- 
mense red-wood  log,  about  two  and  a  half 
feet  of  it  above  the  water  and  as  much  beneath. 
The  water,  itself,  was  about  four  feet  deep. 
We  soon  saw  the  fish  hidden  beneath  the  loof 
and  some  drift.  To  shoot  them  was  impossi- 
ble. I  thought  they  might  be  "hooked,"  as 
we  hooked  suckers,  and  for  the  purpose,  rig- 
ged a  large  hook,  with  three  or  four  inches  of 
line,  on  the  end  of  a  four- foot  stick.  Mr. 
Blosser  leisurely  sat  on  the  bank  to  see  the 
sport.  With  my  implement  I  got  upon  the 
log,  and  by  lying  down  upon  my  stomach 
was  able  to  look  well  down  and  under. 

There  one  lay,  not  on  the  bottom,  but  sus- 
pended motionless  within  a  few  inches  of  the 
log,  and  directly  under  the  centre  of  it.  Some 
dead  poles  of  drift-wood,  lay  from  the  bank  to 
the  log.  To  see  and  reach  so  far  under,  I 
was  in  need,  either  of  weight  to  my  heels,  or 
support  to  my  head.     The  former  was  not  to 


/xiM;(iiiii'|i|[hii^ 


The  "  Parson"  going  down  after  the  fish. 


Page  195. 


MEXDOCINO.  IQC 

foot,  but  the  latter,  seemed  to  be  at  hand.     So 
I  put  my  left  hand  upon    one  of  these   poles, 
and  with  my  fishing  tackle  in  my  right,  project- 
ed my  head  and  breast  well  over,  feeling  quite 
sure  I  should  now  catch  him.     But  I  didn't. 
Mr.  Blosser  heard  a  crack  and  a  plunge,  and 
saw  a  pair  of  shoes  sticking  above  the  water. 
Presently  the  shoes  went  down,  and  the  other 
end  of  a  man    came  up,  who,  by  and  by,  re- 
ported, that  he    "went   down  after  him,'but 
didn't  succeed."     Then  followed  a  divesting, 
wringing,  and  putting  on  of  wet  clothing,  and 
a  rapid  walk  down  the  canyon. 

A  dry,  woolen  shirt  was  borrowed,  and  no 
evil  effects  followed.  The  Methodist  "  Parson" 
was  teased  about  turning  Baptist.  He  stead- 
fastly affirmed  that  he  was,  more  than  ever, 
opposed  to  immersion-especially  head  fore- 
most, in  cold  spring  water,  and  that  without 
ceremony. 

Subsequently,  he  went  with  Mr.  Blosser 
again,  for  those  same  fish,  and  from  that  same 
log,  caught  them  both  with  a  heavy  horse- 
hair loop.     Moreover,  it  should  be  said,  that 


196  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

the  brilliant  success  did  not  efface  from  his 
mind  an  imjDortant  lesson  in  reference  to  lean- 
ing upon  untried  supports. 

Mr.  Blosser  invited  me  to  go  with  him  on 
a  four  days'  hunt.  On  the  forenoon  of  Tues- 
day, August  5th,  we  started,  with  two  horses 
hitched  to  a  light  spring  wagon,  went  out  on 
the  Mendocino  road  seventeen  miles,  and 
camped  on  Big  River.  The  whole  surface  of 
the  country  is  made  up  of  sharp  and  steep 
hills  and  mountains,  separated  by  narrow 
ravines  and  canyons,  and  all  covered  with 
timber — mainly  red-wood,  fir,  and  sugar  pine. 
We  looked  for  game  on  the  way,  and  in  the 
evening,  but  saw  none.  Next  morning,  we 
took  early  breakfast,  and  then  went  in  differ- 
ent directions.  Both  returned  luckless.  We 
harnessed  up,  drove  on,  and  met  a  young 
man  known  as  "Spanish  George,"  in  search 
of  a  stray  horse.  We  gave  him  information 
about  his  horse,  and  he  us  about  the  best 
hunting  ground.  We  went  two  miles  further 
down  the  river,  and  camped  again  on  a  flat, 
among  high  grass  and  tar-weed.     This  latter 


MENDOCINO.  197 

is  a  terrible  nuisance.  It  grows  all  heights,  up 
to  five  feet,  and  is  as  sticky  as  its  name  indi- 
cates. The  manes  and  tails  of  horses  feeding 
among  it,  mat  together  like  rough  strands  of 
tarred  rope. 

After  dinner,  we  took  to  the  hills,  each  alone. 
On  returning  to  the  riv^er,  I  met  "Spanish 
George."  He  had  found  his  horse,  and  having 
his  rifle  and  dog  along,  was  going  to  take  a 
little  hunt,  before  going  home.  He  invited 
me  to  go  with  him,  and  we  took  trail  down 
the  river.  The  red-woods  had  been  cut  off,  a 
few  years  before,  and  a  heavy  growth  of  brush 
had  taken  their  place.  As  we  went  quietly 
down  the  narrow  trail,  the  dog  followed  close 
at  the  heels  of  the  master,  who  glanced  into 
the  bushes  right  and  left,  on  the  alert  for  game. 
Suddenly,  he  raised  his  gun,  fired,  and  told  his 
dog  to  go.  At  the  crack  of  his  rifle,  I  saw  a 
half  grown  deer  leap  from  the  grass,  and 
bound  into  the  brush.  He  had  seen  its  ears, 
and  fired  as  it  jumped  from  its  bed.  The  dog 
ran  into  the  thicket,  bayed,  and  scoured  all 
around  to  the  hill-side.  I,  too,  went  in  and  stood 


198  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE, 

upon  a  large  log.  Presently,  the  dog  raised 
it  again,  and  here  it  came,  bursting  through 
the  thicket,  and  running  right  toward  me, 
alongside  the  log.  I  fired  ball  at  its  head,  as 
it  flew  past  the  muzzle  of  my  gun,  and  sent  a 
charge  of  buck-shot  after  it,  as  it  went  into  the 
thicket  again,  twenty  feet  away.  A  moment 
later,  the  dog  was  upon  it,  and  George  came 
up  and  secured  it.  Having  hung  it  up,  we 
went  on  down  the  river.  I  tarried  behind, 
after  awhile.  As  George  and  the  dog  went 
on,  over  some  rough  ground,  I  heard  to  their 
right  a  little  noise,  and  immediately  ran  back 
to- clear  ground.  Two  deer  emerged  upon 
the  hill-side,  and  when  I  bleated,  they  paused. 
But  only  a  moment,  for  before  I  could  get 
"Betsy"  upon  either  one,  they  slipped  behind 
the  big  trees  and  were  gone. 

I  then  returned,  to  get  Mr.  Blosser  to  come 
down  where  deer  seemed  almost  as  plenty  as 
cattle  in  a  pasture.  It  was  late  when  I  found 
him,  and  as  we  went  down  again,  we  met 
George  carrying  a  little  fawn.  Its  cry  was 
most  mournful.    He  had  shot  the  dam,  before 


MENDOCINO.  199 

seeing  the  fawn,  and  seemed  sorry  for  the  little 
orphan.  He  was  going  to  take  it  along  home 
for  a  pet.  We  got  no  game,  but  George 
generously  gave  us  some  meat. 

Next  morning,  when  I  went  to  the  river  to 
wash  myself  and  get  water,  a  deer  ran  up  on 
the  opposite  side,  and  stood  on  the  edge  of 
the  heavy  timber.  I  went  back  for  "Betsy," 
and  when  I  returned,  he  had  gone.  Careful 
search  failed  to  find  "the  other  one."  After 
breakfast,  we  both  went  down  the  river,  one  on 
either  side,  fully  expecting  to  find  game. 
Mr.  Blosser  saw  a  deer,  but  could  not  get  a 
shot.  Three  miles  below,  we  met,  and  returned 
together.  Luckless  "still,  we  got  back  before 
noon,  harnessed  up,  and  returned  up  the  river 
toward  our  former  camp.  We  sat,  side  by  side, 
on  the  front  seat.  As  we  passed  through  a 
flat,  Mr.  Blosser  stopped  the  team,  put  on  the 
brake,  gave  me  the  reins,  and  showed  me  a 
deer  directly  to  our  left,  about  one  hundred 
yards  away.  He  had  his  head  behind  a  bush, 
but  his  body  was  all  exposed,  and  he  presented 
a  fair  broadside.     Mr.  Blosser  rested  his  rifle 


200  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

on  my  back,  took  a  deliberate  aim,  and  fired. 
The  deer  bounded  into  the  brush.  We  tied 
the  horses,  and  went  in.  Two  ran  out  and 
sped  up  the  hill-side.  One  of  them  was  a  fine 
buck.  "Betsy"  sent  two  loads  of  buck-shot 
after  him,  at  about  one  hundred  yards.  He 
simply  switched  his  tail  in  acknowledgment  of 
the  attention,  and  continued  on  his  way.  I  then 
feared  that  one  of  them  had  been  Mr.  Blosser's 
target.  But  he  was  sure  he  had  shot  him 
through  the  body,  just  behind  the  shoulder. 
And  further  search  proved  him  correct;  for 
the  deer  jumped  from  the  brush,  and  started 
up  the  hill.  From  a  large  log,  Mr.  Blosser 
sent  another  ball,  at  about  sixty  paces.  Pierced 
again,  he  sprang  forward  and  fell.  He  was  a 
splendid  buck.  The  first  ball  had  struck  him 
two  inches  too  far  back  to  cause  instant  death. 
We  went  on  up,  and  camped  at  the  forks  of  the 
river.  It  was  three  o'clock  when  we  prepared 
and  ate  dinner.  Roast  venison,  of  our  own 
killing,  was  refreshing. 

Up  one  of  the  forks,  directly  eastward,  Mr. 
Blosser  knew  there  was  a  dam,  below  which 


MENDOCINO.  201 

was  a  hole,  said  to  contain  fish.  It  was  three 
miles;  but  we  concluded  to  go.  There  might 
be  game,  too.  We  went  afoot.  Most  of  the 
trail  was  very  good,  but  part  of  it  impassable 
for  a  horse,  on  account  of  the  numerous  logs 
cut  the  previous  season. 

On  the  way,  we  saw  a  few  speckled  trout,  in 
the  then  feeble  stream,  but  no  game.  Arrived 
at  the  dam,  we  found  a  hole  about  ten  by 
twenty  feet,  made  by  the  water  that  had  rushed 
through  the  sluice-way.  The  water  was  per- 
fectly clear,  and  about  six  feet  deep.  On  one 
side,  there  was  perpendicular  rock,  on  the 
other,  there  were  rocks  and  a  large  tree,  be- 
neath the  roots  of  which  was  a  hiding-place, 
extending  backward  and  downward,  at  least 
two  yards.  When  we  came  up,  there  were 
eight  or  ten  fine  salmon  trout  swimming 
around.  Like  frightened  birds,  they  fled  to 
cover.  After  awhile,  one  came  out,  and  I  fired 
at  it  a  useless  load  of  buck-shot. 

It  was  night  when  we  got  back  to  camp. 

Next  morning,  Mr.  Blosser  took  both  horses, 
and  went  down  stream  to  hunt.     I  determined 


202  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

to  try  those  fish  again,  took  fresh  venison  for 
bait,  plenty  of  large  hooks,  horse-hair  for 
loops,  "  Betsy"  and  bullets,  and  thus  equipped, 
travelled  up  the  canyon.  Moreover,  my  full 
assurance  of  fish,  was  evidenced  by  an  empty 
sack,  slung  around  my  shoulders. 

At  "JlA  o'clock,  I  had  a  large  hook  baited 
and  in.  One  soon  came  out,  and  boldly  took  it. 
Then  there  was  a  "taut"  line,  a  bending  pole, 
and  lively  play.  Far  beneath  the  bank,  and 
anon,  to  the  opposite  side,  lengthwise  and 
diagonally,  he  darted  through  the  pool,  like  a 
gleaming  shuttle.  In  a  few  minutes,  I  led 
him  out  to  shallow  water,  and  secured  him. 
Then  I  sat  behind  the  tree,  and  watched  and 
waited  a  longtime,  in  vain.  When  the  fright 
had  subsided,  they  would  come  cautiously 
out  in  turn,  and  nose  the  bait,  but  not  lay 
hold.  At  last  one  took  it,  the  fisherman's 
thrill  again  seized  me,  as  his  struggles  began 
to  pulse  along  line  and  pole,  but,  unlucky  mo- 
ment, he  let  go !  It  was  no  use.  They  would 
come  out  and  scornfully  swim  past  my  tanta- 
lizing   bait.       One    fine    fellow    persisted    in 


MENDOCINO.  203 

making  his  circuits  around  the  pool.  For 
him,  especially,  I  took  over  thirty  horse-hairs, 
plaited  a  loop,  and  fixed  it  securely  to  the 
end  of  a  five-foot  rod.  As  he  came  sweeping 
around,  about  a  foot  beneath  the  surface,  lei- 
surely revolving  in  his  elliptical  orbit,  I  gently 
lowered  before  him.  Not  liking  to  pass 
through  a  five-inch  ring  like  that,  he  turned 
aside,  made  another  revolution,  and  at  the 
same  low  velocity,  came  round  again.  He 
seemed  less  annoyed  by  my  interference,  but 
again  dodged  my  trap.  The  third  time,  when 
he  turned  to  the  right,  I  drew  it  before  him, 
and  when  to  the  left,  by  a  quicker  motion,  I 
kept  it  before  him  still.  He  went  in.  When 
I  thought  he  was  far  enough,  I  drew,  and 
raised  him  to  the  surface.  Then  he  felt  as 
heavy  as  a  dog,  began  to  kick  for  life,  and 
slipped  through  the  loop  to  the  tail. 

With  both  hands,  I  pulled  him  out,  and  up 
on  the  rocks,  four  or  five  feet  from  the  water, 
he  all  the  time  kicking  like  a  crazy  pig.  Let- 
ting go  my  rod  to  lay  hold  of  him,  he  jumped 
out  of  my  hands,  kept  on  jumping,  and  in  a 


204  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

moment,  was  in  the  pool,  and  back  in  the 
hiding-place.  He  showed  marked  dislike  to 
the  new  element,  and  to  the  formation  of 
new  acquaintances.  Myself,  and  the  rocks 
around,  were  wet  enough  to  have  been  in  a 
shower. 

It  was  my  first  wrestling  match  with  a  fish, 
and  his  strength  and  agility  proved  more  than 
a  match  for  me.  Another  hour's  patience 
brought  out  another  fish,  about  the  same  size. 
"Betsy"  paid  careful  attention  to  him,  and 
when  his  unfortunate  head  came  near  the  sur- 
face, she  put  an  ounce  of  lead  through  it. 
Having  no  hope  of  another,  soon,  and  the  two 
I  had  weighing  about  ten  pounds,  without 
their  heads,  I  sacked  them,  and  started  for 
camp. 

From  a  little  flat,  among  heavy  timber 
and  brush,  three  deer  started  up  the  mountain 
side.  One  paused;  his  position  was  unfavor- 
able, but  I  fired,  and  thought  I  wounded  him. 
Loading  and  going  up  the  hill  in  pursuit,  I 
saw  another  standing  under  the  end  of  a  huge 
burnt  out  log.     He  was  a  young  buck,  stood 


MENDOCINO.  205 

broadside,  and  leisurely  eyed  me.  I  was  only 
sixty  paces  away,  but  too  much  excited  to 
take  steady  aim.  Intending  to  iire  one  barrel 
only,  I  discharged  both.  He  plunged  forward, 
fell  almost  to  the  ground,  and  then  staggered 
into  the  brush.  I  loaded,  went  in,  and  expect- 
ed soon  to  find  him.  I  followed  his  track, 
then  lost  it,  spent  an  hour  in  vain  search,  and 
then,  thoroughly  disgusted  with  m}'  miserable 
shooting,  took  up  my  fish  again,  and  trudged 
back  to  camp.  After  curing  my  fish,  I  ate  a 
lunch,  rolled  up  in  a  blanket,  under  the  wagon, 
and  went  to  sleep. 

After  awhile,  Mr.  Blosser  returned  with  one 
small  deer.  We  harnessed  up  and  started 
homeward,  sharply  looking  for  game  on  the 
w^ay.  Mr.  Blosser  kindly  offered,  that  if  I  saw 
a  deer,  I  should  shoot  it  with  his  rifle.  As  we 
were  toiling  up  a  long  grade,  I  saw  one.  It 
stood  off  to  our  left,  across  a  deep  ravine,  only 
seventy  or  eighty  yards  away.  The  wagon 
was  stopped.  I  sat  still,  rested  my  elbow 
upon  my  knee,  took  deliberate  aim,  and  fired. 


206  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

The  deer  leaped  forward,  and  fell  among  the 
bushes. 

"  Well  done  for  you !  you  saved  him,"  said 
Mr.  Blosser.  While  he  re-loaded,  I  took 
"Betsy,"  ran  around  the  head  of  the  ravine, 
and  went  into  the  brush  to  find  and  despatch 
it.  When  I  got  within  a  few  paces,  it  got  up, 
staggered  along  the  hill-side,  but  kept  out  of 
my  way,  and  most  of  the  time,  out  of  my 
sight.  The  thick  underbrush  prevented 
shooting  again,  and  I  tracked  it  by  its  blood. 
Once  I  was  almost  upon  it,  when  it  jumped 
from  its  bloody  bed,  and  rushed  through  the 
bushes.  A  load  of  buck-shot  turned  its 
course  down  into  the  canyon.  Mr.  Blosser 
came,  and  we  followed  it  a  full  half  mile,  raised 
it  twice  in  the  pursuit,  headed  it  off  once, 
when  it  took  to  the  opposite  hill,  and  then  we 
were  compelled  to  give  it  up.  I  could  have 
wept  for  the  poor  beast,  doomed,  doubtless,  to 
die  after  protracted  suffering. 

W^e  camped  along  the  road  at  a  spring,  and 
next  morning  drove  home.  Mr.  Blosser  had 
killed  all  the  p-amc.     I   had  nothing  to  show 


MENDOCINO.  207 

but  fish,  and  the}'  were  not  so  heavy  to  carry- 
as  was  the  remembrance  of  those  wounded 
deer,  I  resolved  to  practice  with  my  brother's 
rifle,  and  use  it  next  time.  At  a  target,  there 
was  no  trouble,  but  I  found  a  vast  difference 
between  coolly  firing  at  a  target  and  shooting 
at  large  game,  that  starts  up  suddenly.  Old 
hunters  become  used  to  it.  I  found  that  all 
amateurs  had  an  experience  very  similar  to 
my  own — often  missing,  and  alwa}'s  crippling 
more  than  they  kill.  Some  always  use  a  dog. 
"  Spanish  George  "  never  went  without  his,  and 
he  would  probably  have  got  neither  of  the 
two,  the  time  I  was  with  him,  had  it  not  been 
for  his  dog.  Similar  help  would  have  secured 
both  of  my  cripples. 

I  heard  of  a  man  in  Mendocino,  who 
thought  a  dog  so  essential,  that  on  one  occa- 
sion, when  a  fine  buck  came  and  stood  in  the 
woods  in  full  view,  just  back  of  the  house,  he 
took  down  his  gun,  and  then  stepped  front  to 
loose  his  dog.  When  he  returned,  and  sighted 
around  the  door  jamb,  there  was  nothing  but 


208  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

trees!  They  often  do  stand  a  long  time,  and 
gaze  in  perfect  simplicity. 

In  Tulare,  Mr.  Carter's  two  children  were 
going  a  few  miles  to  a  neighbor's.  Only 
twenty  paces  from  them,  they  saw  a  deer;  and 
he  saw  them.  One  remained  to  watch,  the 
other  went  home  to  get  her  father.  He  took 
down  the  rifle,  and  went  in  bright  anticipation 
of  fresh  venison.  When  he  came  to  the  place, 
there  stood  the  deer,  as  intently  watching  the 
little  boy  as  the  boy  was  watching  him.  The 
father  drew  up,  took  good  aim,  and  pulled. 
The  cap  burst  without  discharging  the  gun. 
The  spell  was  broken.  The  deer  tossed  back 
his  antlers,  and  dashed  away  like  the  wind. 
When  I  passed  in  the  evening,  the  old  man 
told  me  about  it,  introducing  the  story  by 
saying,  "  I  had  bad  luck  to  day."  And  I  sup- 
pose he  spoke  the  truth,  for  he  was  out  of  meat, 
and  not  to  have  good  luck,  under  such  circum- 
stances, is  positively  bad. 

By  practicing  on  the  heads  of  hare,  at  from 
forty  to  sixty  paces,  I  acquired  a  little  skill  in 
the  use  of  the  rifle.     I  went  hunting  one  day. 


MENDOCINO.  209 

with  Mr.  Sawyer,  a  neighbor.  We  took  a 
horse  to  pack  our  game,  and  went  up  into  the 
mountains,  on  the  south-west  side  of  the  valley. 
In  the  forenoon,  we  both  saw  deer,  and  fired  at 
them,  but  at  such  long  range  that  it  was 
almost  hopeless.  \\'ith  us,  it  proved  entirely 
so.  Toward  evening,  we  hunted  awhile 
together.  Three  bounded  up.  Two  plunged 
into  the  bushes,  and  one  stood  looking  at  us, 
only  fifty  yards  away.  We  fired  together. 
It  simply  whirled  around  and  stood  again,  on 
the  quarter.  While  we  loaded,  it  seemed  fixed, 
looking  at  us.  First  ready,  I  fired  again.  It 
whirled  into  the  brush.  Mr.  Sawyer  told  his 
dog  to  go.  It  had  fallen,  but  the  dog  raised 
it,  and  both  went  at  a  dreadful  rate  down  the 
brushy  ravine.  The  dog  ba\'ed,  ^Ir.  Saw}^er 
followed,  and  as  soon  as  "Betsy"  was  ready, 
the  "parson"  "came  tumbling  after." 

The  dog  overtook  it,  or  it  had  fallen  after 
running  about  three  hundred  \'ards.  The  ball 
had  entered  just  back  of  the  shoulder  blade, 
had  pierced  the  lungs,  and  gone  entirely 
through  the  bod\-.  One  of  the  first  shots  had 
14 


2IO  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

simply  cut  the  skin  on  the  top  of  its  neck. 
The  "tug  of  war"  was  now  at  hand,  viz:  to 
get  that  disemboweled,  headless,  legless  trunk 
to  the  trail,  at  the  top  of  that  fearful  hill.  One 
took  both  rifles,  the  other  the  carcass.  Then 
there  was  slipping  backward,  holding  to  roots 
and  bushes,  and  sweating  slowly  upward. 
After  several  changes,  we  reached  the  trail 
and  the  horse.  We  concluded  that  hunting 
for  a  living  would  be  the  hardest  kind  of  work, 
and  in  our  case,  very  poor  pay. 

After  adding  another  to  my  long  list  of 
crippled  deer,  when  on  a  trip  to  the  coast,  at 
Mendocino  city,  I  subsequently  killed  a  year- 
ling fawn,  above  Mr.  Blosser's  mill.  He  had 
shot  the  dam,  and  while  loading,  the  fawn 
came  out  of  the  bushes.  He  fired,  and  was 
quite  sure  he  had  killed  it.  But  night  was 
coming  on,  and  he  failed  to  find  it.  Hunting 
near  the  same  place,  a  few  days  afterward,  I 
passed  through  a  little  opening  in  the  timber 
and  brush.  A  dead  twig  cracked  off  in  the 
woods.  .  I  looked,  and  there  was  the  beautiful 
little  animal   about  seventy  yards  away.     It 


MENDOCINO.  211 

bleated  and  came  trotting  toward  mc.  At 
thirty  yards  it  stood.  The  cruel  hunter  raised 
his  rifle  and  fired.  It  turned  and  ran  into  the 
brush.  After  re-loading,  he  followed  in  and 
found  it  dead.  It  dressed  twenty-three  pounds 
of  excellent  meat. 

Beside  hare  and  rabbits,  there  is  plenty  of 
other  small  game  in  Little  Lake  Valley.  The 
"digger  "  squirrels  are  numerous,  and  in  some 
of  the  groves,  there  are  plenty  of  gray  squir- 
rels. Then  the  quail  are  often  so  abundant  as 
to  constitute  a  nuisance.  About  the  last  of 
August,  the  wild  pigeons  came  in,  too. 
"Betsy"  and  I  secured  a  number  of  them. 
They  are  rather  larger  than  the  wild  pigeons, 
east,  and  the  young  ones  are  excellent  eating. 

The  climate  is  a  curiosity.  Frosts  occur  in 
mid-summer,  while  the  morning  sun  that  melts 
it,  at  noon,  raises  the  mercury  to  ioo°,  in  the 
shade.  On  Friday,  July  25th,  the  thermometer 
ranged  as  follows:  Morning  57°,  noon  104°. 
On  Saturday,  the  26th,  morning  57°,  noon 
107°.    Sunday,  27th,  morning  54°,  noon  109°! 

About  1 1  o'clock,  daily,  a  strong  breeze  sets 


212  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

in  from  the  coast,  and  continues  until  the  mid- 
dle of  the  afternoon.  This  renders  the  heat 
quite  endurable,  and  sunstroke  seldom  occurs. 

There  are  no  churches  in  the  valley,  but 
they  have  excellent  schools;  and  the  school 
houses  are  so  commodious  as  to  well  serve  a 
double  purpose. 

Like  Goldsmith's  useful  piece  of  furniture — 

"A  bed  by  night,  a  chest  of  drawers  by  day," — 

so  these  well  appointed  houses.  During  the 
week,  they  echo  the  tread  of  bounding  feet, 
the  voice  of  the  teacher,  and  hum  of  secular 
study.  On  Sunday,  the  arithmetic  is  brushed 
from  the  black-board,  and  the  Scripture  lesson 
substituted,  and  the  Sunday-school  joins  in 
sacred  song.  At  the  teacher's  desk,  the 
preacher  takes  his  stand,  and  instead  of  gram- 
mar, and  history,  and  algebra,  he  talks  "of 
Jesus  and  his  love." 

The  Baptists  and  Presbyterians  had  preach- 
ing occasionally.  The  Methodists  regularly, 
by  a  circuit  preacher.  I  attended  Sabbath- 
school,  and  was  delighted  to  find  both  old  and 
young  taking  an  interest.      It  seemed   impos- 


MENDOCINO.  2T3 

sible  that  such  quiet  orderly  people  could 
have  so  recently  emerged  from  the  rough 
ways  of  wild  Californians.  In  the  little  grav^e 
yard,  near  one  of  the  school  houses,  I  saw  the 
graves  of  five  men,  who  fell  in  a  fight  on  elec- 
tion day,  a  few  years  before.  Two  families 
had  been  involved  in  a  quarrel,  arising  from  a 
trivial  cause,  and  they  had  settled  it  in  that 
way.  Armed  with  revolvers,  ten  took  part  in 
it,  five  on  a  side.  They  stood  within  a  few 
paces  of  each  other,  and  shot  away,  until  the 
last  man  on  one  side  fell.  Seven  were  shot, 
but  two  recovered. 

California  life  has  developed  a  remarkable 
people.  Or,  perhaps,  it  would  be  nearer  truth 
to  say,  sifted  out  a  remarkable  people.  The 
very  weak,  and  wholly  bad,  have  mostly  been 
swept  away  by  the  terrible  ordeal  through 
which  all  have  passed.  What  the  native  born 
will  do,  remains  to  be  seen.  But  of  the  sires, 
it  maybe  said,  that  a  sharper,  sturdier,  quieter, 
more  obliging,  and  more  sociable  people,  it 
would  be  difficult   to  find.     For  a  lazy  man, 


214  'i"HE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

or  for  a  humbug,  either  in  medicine,  law,  edu- 
cation, or  the  pulpit,  they  have  no  use. 

If  a  man  has  worth,  either  of  muscle,  brain, 
or  soul,  they  would  divide  their  raiment  to 
keep  him  from  suffering,  and,  if  there  was  a 
difference,  they  would  retain  the  smaller  half 
If  he  steals  or  worse,  they  just  kill  him.  In- 
deed, they  have  reduced  life  and  death  to  a 
money  value,  and  they  express  it  in  financial 
terms.  While  dining  at  a  hotel  in  San  Fran- 
cisco, a  friend  at  my  side,  addressing  another 
gentleman  opposite,  alluded  to  the  death,  that 
morning,  of  a  man  known  to  both  of  them. 
In  a  most  business  like  way,  he  replied : 
"  Yes,  he  has  passed  in  his  check." 
On  my  brother's  ranch,  were  the  remains 
of  two  Indian  camps.  The  inhabitants  had 
been  removed  to  a  neighboring  "  reservation," 
though  a  few  were  still  roaming  about,  and  a 
few  had  leave  of  absence  to  work  during 
harvest-time.  Some  of  them  are  very  good 
hands — honest,  steady,  faithful.  The  labor  on 
many  of  the  excellent  roads,  in  the  county, 
has  been  done  by  Indians.     Others  are  lazy, 


MENDOCINO.  215 

drunken  and  worthless,  just  like  white  people. 

They  formerly  lived  mainly  on  roots  and 
acorns;  displaying  great  skill  in  catching  fish, 
but  none  in  taking  game.  The  same  seems  to 
be  true  of  nearly  all  the  coast  tribes.  Acorns 
were  abundant,  and  of  these,  they  made  a  kind 
of  coarse  bread,  that  is  nourishing.  They  dry, 
parch,  and  then  pound  them  into  meal.  In  Tu- 
lare County,  along  the  Kaweah,  and  even  away 
up  in  Grouse  Valley,  the  holes  are  there  in  the 
granite  rocks,  in  which  they  pulverized  their 
acorns.  On  a  flat  rock,  not  more  than  ten  by 
twenty  feet,  I  saw  more  than  a  dozen.  The 
largest  was  about  ten  inches  in  diameter,  and 
nearly  the  same  depth.  Sometimes,  within  a 
few  inches  of  a  large  hole,  there  was  a  little 
one,  the  size  of  a  tea-cup,  looking  as  though 
made  by  a  child,  working  alongside  of  its 
mother.  A  man  who  engaged  in  the  final  raid 
upon  those  in  Tulare,  told  me  that  the  acorns 
they  had  stored  that  season,  amounted  to 
thousands  of  bushels. 

On  the  "reservations,"  they  are  improving. 
Those  in  Round  Valley  are  making  commen- 


2l6  THE  GVS,  ROD  A\D  SADDLE. 

dable  progress,  under  the  instruction  and  care 
of  Christian  men.  They  hav^e  left  off  their 
heathen  practices,  have  formed  civilized  habits, 
numbers  of  them  have  professed  change  of 
heart,  and,  judged  by  the  result  of  tests  to 
which  all  Christians  are  subjected,  they  give 
evidence  that  they  both  know,  and  experience 
what  the  Christian  religion  is. 

The  marked  improvement  in  the  condition 
of  the  Indians,  on  these  coast  reservations,  is 
of  itself,  abundant  proof  of  the  wisdom  of 
President  Grant's  policy  toward  these  unfor- 
tunate wards  of  the  nation.  By  the  encroach- 
ments of  white  settlers,  on  the  one  hand,  and 
by  the  stony  hardness  of  unscrupulous  politi- 
cian.s,  pretending  to  furnish  Government  sup- 
plies, on  the  other,  the  Indians,  for  many  years, 
had  been  ground  as  between  two  mill-stones. 
Not  only  mercy,  but  justice,  as  well,  demands 
that  these  crushed  remnants  be  treated  as 
human  beings.  If  the  Sioux  only,  or  Apaches 
are  ungovernable,  they  alone  should  suffer 
for  it. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


SOUTHERN'  CALIFORNIA. 


TTAVIXG  heard  much  of  the  "New  Italy," 
as  Southern  Cahfornia  is  called,  I  de- 
termined to  take  a  trip  to  Los  Angeles  and 
Santa  Barbara,  before  returning  East. 

For  this  purpose,  I  left  Mendocino,  returned 
to  San  Francisco,  spent  a  few  days  attending 
the  session  of  the  California  Conference,  then 
meeting  in  the  cit}',  and  on  Monda}%  Septem- 
ber 22d,  at  9  A.  M.,  sailed  for  San  Pedro,  in 
one  of  the  Pacific  Mail  Company's  steamers, 
plying  between  San  Francisco  and  San  Diego. 

The  boat  was  small,  and  we  had  only  ninety 
passengers.  Before  reaching  the  "  Golden 
Gate"  we  got  into  the  fog,  which  prevails  here 
almost  constantly,  at  this  season  of  the  year. 
We  ran  close  by  the  ill-starred  "Costa  Rica," 
\\hich  had  run  upon  the  rocks  in  the  darkness, 

217 


2l8  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

only  a  few  nights  before.  I  was  glad  we  did 
not  have  to  take  her  in  tow  again.  Passing 
the  "Gate,"  and  heading  southward,  we  found 
the  fog  more  dense,  and  the  sea  rough  for 
landsmen.  Many  of  us  were  sea-sick,  as  usual, 
and  the  ordeal  was  passed,  with  all  the  grace 
possible,  under  the  circumstances. 

The  boat  was  to  touch  at  San  Simeon,  one 
hundred  and  sixty  miles  down  the  coast.  At 
mid-night,  the  officers  calculated  we  were  in 
the  neighborhood.  Then  commenced  a  pro- 
tracted search.  The  whistle  of  the  steamer 
was  to  be  answered  by  a  gun  or  horn  on 
shore.  So  they  blew  and  listened,  listened  and 
blew;  advanced,  and  blew,  and  listened. 
Then  they  crept  cautiously  toward  shore, 
blew,  and  listened.  Cruised  down  the  coast, 
blowing  and  listening.  Fearing  some  danger- 
ous rocks,  they  had  to  keep  pretty  well  off. 
Daylight  came.  Nothing  visible  but  fog. 
They  whistled,  and  whistled.  It  reminded 
one  of  a  child  lost  in  the  woods,  who,  weary 
with  running  and  calling,  at  last  sits  down 
and  cries.     Silence — awful   silence — was   the 


SOUTHERN    CALIFORNIA.  2ig 

only  reply.  But  tears  and  inactivnty  never 
find  an  exit  fi-om  trouble.  Our  little  boat 
stirred  around,  for  there  was  great  uncertainty 
about  the  clearing  away  of  that  "black  forest" 
of  fog.  During  seven  solid  hours  more,  they 
continued  the  search.  At  noon,  the  signal 
was  answered  by  the  report  of  a  gun  on  shore. 
Patience  triumphed,  after  twelve  hours'  proba- 
tion. Some  passengers  went  off  in  a  boat  to- 
ward an  invisible  strand,  and  like  a  spectre,  it 
came  floating  quietly  back,  bearing  one  beside 
the  rowers. 

The  next  point  was  San  Luis  Obispo.  We 
got  into  the  neighborhood  at  5  P.  M.  Here 
the  same  process  was  repeated,  but  favorable 
results  were  reached,  at  the  end  of  two  hours 
and  a  half 

This  whole  southern  coast  is  consecrated 
to  the  Saints.  But  we  concluded  that  if  they 
were  all  befogged  as  badly  as  Simeon  and 
Luis  Obispo,  they  would  be  poor  aid  to  any- 
one in  distress. 

The  next  morning  we  were  off  Point  Con- 
ception.    The  fog  lifted.     We  got  a  view  of 


220  llli:  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

the  light-house,  and  heard  the  powerful  fog- 
Avhistlc.  Wc  now  had  grand  sailing.  The 
gulls  and  ducks  sported  on  the  water,  and 
flocks  of  the  huge  albatross  swept  close  to  the 
surface  of  the  smooth  sea.  Our  course  was 
nearly  due  east.  The  sky  was  cloudless. 
Far  off  to  the  right,  were  the  large  islands  of 
Santa  Rosa  and  Santa  Cruz.  Inland,  and 
running  parallel  with  the  coast,  were  the 
mountains  of  Santa  Inez.  Saints  to  the  right 
of  us ;  Saints  to  the  left  of  us ;  Saints  in  front 
of  us !  Pity  there  were  not  more  in  the  midst 
of  us. 

At  I,  P.  M.,  we  reached  Santa  Barbara.  It 
took  three  hours  to  exchange  freight.  This 
allowed  us  a  stroll  upon  shore.  The  situation 
of  the  city  is  very  beautiful.  It  is  nearly  sur- 
rounded by  mountains  on  the  west,  north,  and 
east.  The  enclosed  space  is  about  three  miles 
from  north  to  south,  by  five  or  six  from  east 
to  west.  The  rise  from  the  beach  is  gradual. 
The  streets  cross  at  right  angles  and  are  well 
shaded,  the   favorite    being    the   pepper  tree. 

This   tree   has   the  strength   of  the   maple, 


SOUTHERN    CALIFORNIA.  221 

and  yet,  with  its  long  compound  leaves  and 
slightly  pendent  branches,  it  has  the  charming 
grace  of  the  weeping  willow.  Many  of  them 
were  quite  full  of  pepper  berries,  which  were 
then  turning  from  green  to  pink.  The  dense 
green  of  the  orange  and  lemon,  the  broad  and 
luxuriant  fig  in  the  gardens  and  orchards,  and 
the  great  variety  of  ornamental  flowers  in  the 
tastefully  arranged  door-yards,  throw  a  charm 
about  the  whole  place.  Neat  cottages,  active 
business  places,  and  some  new  and  large 
hotels,  indicate  a  fresh  life  in  this  old  Spanish 
town.  Facing  the  main  street,  leading  up 
from  the  wharf,  and  just  two  miles  from  it, 
rises  the  low  fort-like  form  of  the  old  mission. 
The  massive  white  adobe  walls,  pierced  by 
little  windows,  that  in  the  distance  look  like 
port-holes  in  a  fortress,  and  the  heavy  tile 
roof,  make  it  look  as  though  wholly  on  the 
defensive.  It  is  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet 
above  tide,  and  visible  far  out  at  sea.  Those 
devoted  old  Spaniards  showed  great,  good 
sense  in  the  location  of  their  mission  buildings. 
The  signal  gun  brought  all  the  strollers  on 


222  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

board  again,  and  we  bade  good-bye  to  the 
good  lady  Barbara.  In  the  protected  bay,  are 
growing  some  gigantic  sea-weeds,  appearing 
to  be  attached  to  the  bottom,  five  or  six 
fathoms  below.  From  central  points  they 
send    up   long  vines,   bearing   an   ovate   leaf. 

The  color  is  a  greenish  brown.  These 
often  reach  the  surface,  and  spread  out  ten 
or  fifteen  feet.  Their  motions  were  exceedingly 
graceful,  as  with  the  waves  they  were  rolled 
back  from  our  bow.  But  the  side  wheels 
made  havoc  among  their  fine  forms,  gathering 
and  whirling  them  around  by  cart  loads. 

At  4^  o'clock,  on  Thursday  morning,  we 
were  waked  for  breakfast,  as  the  steamer 
entered  the  little  harbor  of  San  Pedro.  San 
Pedro  signifies  "Saint  Peter."  This  one,  less 
fortunate  than  Peter  of  old,  when  sinking, 
seems  to  have  had  no  saviour  near,  to  lift  it 
above  the  waves.  There  are  only  a  few  de- 
serted walls  of  the  old  town  yet  standing.  The 
harbor  is  being  improved  by  the  United  States 
government,  and  the  new  town,  three  miles 
up   the  creek,  is  called  Wilmington.     They 


SOUTHERN   CALIFORNIA.  223 

are  trying  to  solve  the  problem  of  making  a 
good  harbor  here,  by  means  of  a  "break- 
water." The  surroundings  do  not  look  en- 
couraging. Indeed,  the  whole  sea  coast  of 
California,  though  it  extends  about  eight 
hundred  miles,  furnishes  only  two  good  har- 
bors. But,  as  if  to  compensate  in  quality  for 
the  small  quantity,  these  two  are  among  the 
best  in  the  world.  They  are  San  Francisco 
and  San  Diego. 

The  freight  was  transferred  to  a  lighter, 
and  the  passengers  to  a  little  flat-bottomed 
steamer,  that  served  the  double  purpose  of 
tug  and  passenger- boat.  We  steamed  for 
Wilmington.  The  creek,  or  slough  rather,  is 
equal  in  crookedness  to  the  Christiana,  below 
Wilmington,  Delaware,  while  its  depth  is  not 
nearly  so  great. 

At  Wilmington,  we  took  cars.  The  distance 
to  Los  Angeles  is  twenty  miles,  nearly  due 
north.  The  grade  is  ten  feet  to  the  mile,  and 
the  whole  surrounding  country  has  the  same 
slope  from  the  mountains  to  the  sea.  To  the 
eye,  it  looks  like  a  level  plain.    Ten  miles  out, 


224  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

we  reach  Compton.  It  is  a  new  town,  looks 
well  on  paper,  fair  to  the  eye  in  passing 
through,  and  will  very  likely  fulfill  its  great 
promises. 

Five  miles  further,  Florence,  younger  yet 
than  Compton.  There  was  very  little  but 
stakes,  marking  the  corners  of  town  lots  and 
prospective  fruit  farms.  But  with  such  a  site, 
such  a  soil,  and  such  a  sun,  with  water  from 
the  mountains,  or  a  few  artesian  wells,  will 
produce  a  bearing  orchard,  or  a  populous 
town,  in  a  very  few  years. 

Done  with  the  saints,  we  have  at  last  come 
to  ^'The  Angels" — Los  Angeles.  After  a 
good  dinner  at  the  Bella  Union,  I  found  some 
gentlemen  to  whom  the  "  Masonry  "  of  Method- 
ism had  given  me  an  introduction.  They  had 
the  orthodox  Wesleyan  grip.  A  ride  of  four- 
teen miles  around  the  country,  was  a  real 
luxury.  The  tons  of  ripe  grapes,  hanging  in 
two,  three,  and  four-pound  bunches,  in  scores 
of  vineyards,  the  live  hedges,  the  fig  orchards, 
the  wide  spreading  English  walnuts,  the  em- 
erald orange-groves,  the  crystal  streams  flow- 


SOUTHERN  CALIFORNIA.  225 

ing  among  them,  and  out  in  the  countty,  the 
fresher  artesian  wells,  broad  fields,  where  in 
June  a  heavy  harvest  of  wheat  or  barley  had 
been  gathered,  now  covered  with  corn  almost 
ripe,  that  would  yield  over  one  hundred 
bushels  per  acre,  a  cloudless  day,  and  an  at- 
mosphere just  sufficiently  moist  and  comfort- 
ably cooled,  by  the  good  breeze  from  the  sea, 
all  conspired  to  remind  one  of  Paradise  re- 
gained. The  orange-groves,  especially,  present' 
a  sight  that  sinks  deep  into  the  soul. 

But  a  visit  to  the  fine  new  school-house  on 
the  hill,  and  a  view  of  the  Spanish  part  of  the 
town,  known  as  Sonora,  and  more  particularly, 
a  stroll  through  its  dirty  streets,  and  a  glance 
into  its  drinking  and  gambling  saloons,  filled 
with  half-breeds  and  greasy  Mexicans,  soon 
dispel  all  hastily  formed  conclusions  about 
Paradise,  and  the  already  arrived  Millennium. 

Feeling  thoroughly  interested  in  this  South- 
ern countr\^  I  determined  to  go  over  to  San 
Bernardino,  before  turning  around.  It  was 
only  sixty  miles  by  stage,  nearly  due  east. 
We  left  next  morning  at  6.30.  The  horses 
15 


226  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

and  stage  were  good,  and  we  had  a  pleasant 
company  of  eight  passengers.  The  hills  soon 
enclosed  us.  Twelve  miles  out,  we  reached 
the  old  mission  of  San  Gabriel.  From  the 
saints  to  the  angels,  from  the  angels  to  the 
arch-angel!  Surely  we  must  be  nearing 
heaven. 

Alas !  appearances  are  against  it.  The  old 
mission  buildings  are  used  for  storage,  stock, 
'  farming,  and  wine  making  purposes.  Many 
of  them  are  going  into  decay.  Fifteen  miles 
out,  we  change  horses.  Four  fresh  teams,  of 
four  each,  are  used  in  making  the  sixty  miles. 
Forty  miles  out,  we  passed  Cucamonga,  where 
the  wine,  bearing  that  name,  is  made. 

Here,  they  have  immense  vineyards,  and 
the  Indians  had  just  commenced  gathering 
the  grapes.  Scores  of  empty  tierces  were 
lying  scattered  in  a  grove  near  the  wine  press. 
A  cooper  was  tightening  them  up,  to  hold  the 
"  Mocker."  In  regard  to  this  business  of 
wine  making  in  California,  it  may  here  be  said, 
that  I  asked  the  opinion  of  men  in  different 
parts   of  the  State.      Many  of  the  people,  in- 


SOUTHERN  CALIFORNIA.  22/ 

eluding  nearly  all  engaged  in  the  business,  not 
only  justify  it,  but  declare  it  an  advantage  to 
the  country,  in  various  ways. 

But  the  great  majority,  not  only  of  the 
Christian,  but  also  of  the  thoughtful  and 
observant  people,  who  make  no  profession  of 
religion  whatever,  as  positively  affirm,  that  it 
is  proving  an  unmitigated  curse.  Vineyards 
of  choice  wine  grapes  are,  yearly,  being  up- 
rooted, and  replaced  by  varieties  that  produce 
raisins. 

Soon  after  leaving  Cucamonga,  we  entered 
a  desert,  that  extends  nearly  the  whole  way 
to  San  Bernardino.  Chemise  and  sage  brush, 
grease-wood,  fields  of  cactus,  sand  and  boul- 
ders cover  the  cheerless  plain.  With  the  ex- 
ception of  a  shower,  three  weeks  before,  no 
rain  of  any  consequence  had  fallen  for  three 
years. 

To  the  north-east  of  us,  lay  a  high  range  of 
mountains,  while  directly  in  front,  and  visible 
during  the  last  twenty-five  miles  of  our  ride, 
rose  the  lofty  summit  of  Mt.  San  Bernardino. 
It  seemed  as  thoucfh  we  should  driv^e  out  of 


228  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

the  desert,  right  up  against  the  base  of  the 
mountain.  But  there  was  said  to  be,  between 
us  and  it,  a  valley  forty  miles  long,  and  twenty 
miles  wide.  Where  could  it  be  ?  We  pre- 
sently learned.  Having  got  through  the 
seemingly  interminable  sage  brush  and  sand, 
we  began  an  easy  descent.  Before  us,  lay  a 
vast  elliptical  basin,  the  bottom  of  which  was 
not  less  than  six  or  seven  hundred  feet  below 
the  desert  we  had  crossed.  Well  defined 
fields,  trees  and  houses  nestled  among  them, 
began  to  appear.  Then  we  first  realized  the 
distance  between  us  and  the  base  of  Mt.  San 
Bernardino.  Of  this  mountain,  there  are  two 
peaks.  The  more  southern  is  the  taller,  the 
rounder,  and  more  barren.  It  is  eleven  thou- 
sand feet  high,  is  covered  during  a  large  part 
of  the  year  with  snow,  and  is  familiarly  known 
as  "  Old  Grayback."  The  other,  being  a 
sharper  peak,  is  taken  as  the  base  for  surveys, 
in  Southern  California,  as  Mt.  Diablo  is,  in 
Central.  It  is  in  latitude  38°,  8',  north,  the 
same  as  Columbia,  South  Carolina. 

The  present  town  of  San  Bernardino  is  on 


SOUTHERN   CALIFORNIA.  229 

the  west  side  of  the  valley,  and  about  twelve 
miles  from  its  northern  end.  It  is  regularly 
laid  out,  is  well  shaded,  and  contains  a  fixed 
population  of  about  one  thousand.  The  old 
Spanish  mission,  is  six  miles  further  east.  The 
Mormons  built  the  greater  part  of  the  present 
town,  and  had  from  the  Mexican  Government, 
a  grant  of  the  larger  part  of  the  valley.  They 
were  summoned  home,  some  twelve  years  ago," 
sold  out  at  an  immense  sacrifice,  and  started 
for  Salt  Lake.  When  on  the  way,  however, 
they  received  some  unsatisfactory  intelligence, 
and  a  great  many  of  them  came  back.  They 
renounced  polygamy,  live  there  still,  and  are 
an  industrious  and  valuable  part  of  the  popu- 
lation. This  place  is  a  centre  for  the  miners 
to  the  north  and  east,  and  is  also  the  point  of 
departure  for  those  going  to  Arizona  and 
New  Mexico. 

On  Saturday,  I  rode  twelve  miles  through 
the  country,  with  a  gentleman  who  had  long 
resided  in  the  place.  Seriously  crippled  by 
accident,  he  now  lived  by  lending  money,  and 
ridins:  about  for  his  health.     To  a  business 


230  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

man,  the  former  is  quite  agreeable,  at  from 
three  to  five  per  cent,  per  month,  and  to  an 
invalid,  the  latter  certainly  pleasing,  when  the 
route  always  lies  along  shaded  lanes,  across 
sparkling  streams  rushing  down  from  the 
mountains,  and  amid  the  verdure  and  fragrance 
of  orange-groves. 

I  met,  also,  the  leading  physician  of  the 
place.  To  my  great  surprise  and  pleasure,  he 
proved  to  be  an  old  school-mate. 

Sabbath  was  a  precious  rest-day.  I  attended 
two  church  services  and  a  Sabbath-school. 
To  participate  with  the  laborers,  in  both  fields, 
was  a  real  joy. 

On  Monday  morning,  at  6.30,  we  started 
again  for  Los  Angeles.  I  had  the  out-side 
seat,  and  found  the  air  really  cold.  In  a 
meadow,  just  outside  of  town,  there  was  what 
looked  very  much  like  white  frost.  The 
thermometer  marked  52°.  At  noon,  it  fre- 
quently runs  above  100°.  Nor  is  that  sur- 
prising, for  the  valley  is  in  the  form  of  a  basin, 
with  a  hot  desert  to  the  west,  high  mountains 
to    the    north    and    east,    and    its    inclination 


SOUTHERN    CALIFORNIA.  23 1 

directly  toward  the  noon-day  sun.  Its  nu- 
merous streams,  springs,  and  artesian  wells, 
develop  a  heavy  vegetable  growth,  and  render 
it  wonderfully  productive. 

At  Los  Angeles,  I  purchased  a  ticket,  by 
the  coast  line  of  stages,  for  San  Francisco. 
The  first  day's  drive  is  to  Santa  Barbara,  one 
hundred  and  ten  miles.  However,  I  concluded 
to  spend  a  day  at  San  Beneventura,  the  county 
seat  of  San  Beneventura  County,  seventy-eight 
miles  west.  It  was  only  five  o'clock,  and  not 
yet  light,  when  we  drove  out  of  town.  It  was 
cold,  the  stage  was  nearly  empty,  and  the 
horses  were  full  of  fire.  I  had  secured  the  out- 
side seat.  Inside  were  two — an  old  Frenchman, 
and  a  bottle  of  whiskey.  They  seemed  to 
enjoy  each  other's  company,  and  had  a  merry 
time  of  it.  But  high  happiness,  especially 
that  which  springs  from  such  a  source,  often 
suffers  serious  interruption.  So  in  this  case. 
When  we  were  rolling  over  a  wide  plain,  the 
off-wheel  horse  began  to  jump  and  kick.  His 
heels  flew  nearly  as  high  as  the  top  of  the 
stage.     In  a  moment,  the  team  was  off  in  a 


232  THE  GUX,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

run.  The  driver  feared  to  put  his  foot  upon 
the  brake-bar,  for  the  horse's  wicked  heels 
seemed  to  make  that  the  chief  objective  point. 
It  was  a  full  mile  to  the  hill.  The  plain  was 
perfectly  even,  excepting  the  hundreds  of 
mounds  and  holes,  made  by  the  "digger 
squirrels."  The  driver  asked  me  to  take  his 
hat  and  whip.  Whether  purposely  or  not,  I 
do  not  know,  we  swept  out  of  the  beaten  road. 
Away  we  sped;  the  hair  of  the  driver  stream- 
ing in  the  wind,  his  teeth  set,  and  reins  "  taut," 
I,  for  life,  holding  to  the  iron  cruard  around  the 
seat,  the  stage  making  fearful  jumps  over  the 
mounds  and  into  the  holes,  the  old  French- 
man and  his  whiskey  bottle  bouncing  about, 
like  pebbles  in  a  child's  rattle,  and  anon  crying 
for  mercy.  I  looked  to  see  his  hatlesshead 
come  through  the  top  of  the  stage.  After 
describing  a  wide  semi-circle,  we  returned  to 
the  road,  the  horses  cooled  to  a  trot,  Jehu  had 
his  foot  upon  the  brake-bar,  and  now  used 
both  his  hat  and  whip. 

By  and  by,  he  gave  me  a  little  sketch  of 
that  horse.     "  He  is  a  curious  fellow.     That's 


SOUTHERN  CALIFORNIA.  233 

his  second  caper  of  that  kind.  Sometimes,  he 
refuses  to  go  at  all;  generally,  in  town.  He 
prefers  the  Main  street,  stops,  and  looks  about 
to  read  the  signs.  When  he  comes  to  a 
Dutch  sign,  it  takes  him  longer  than  usual  to 
spell  it  out.  It  takes  a  heavy  fall  of  timber  to 
wake  him  up." 

We  reached  Beneventura  at  3. 20, P.  M.  It 
lies  right  along  the  sea-side,  and  there  are 
high  hills  immediately  behind  it,  to  the  north. 
There  is  a  small  wharf  at  which  schooners 
and  other  light  craft  unload  without  lighters. 
It  is  an  old  Spanish  town,  and  the  venerable 
mission  buildings  seem  to  be  in  pretty  good 
repair.  There  are  many  Mexicans  in  the 
town  and  surrounding  country. 

Going  out  to  call  upon  a  gentleman  whom 
I  had  met  in  San  Francisco,  among  other 
curiosities,  I  saw  one  entirely  new,  viz:  a 
"Bull -fight."  It  is  an  annual  festival  with 
them.     They  proceed  as  follows: 

From  the  town  people  in  various  kinds  of 
business,  especially  the  saloon  keepers,  they 
secure    subscriptions    to     purchase    lumber. 


234  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

With  this  they  enclose  a  space  about  one 
hundred  feet  square.  The  fence  is  about  five 
feet  high — the  boards  being  put  on  horizon- 
tally, with  ample  cracks  for  the  children  to  peep 
through.  They  secure  from  the  neighboring 
ranches  a  number  of  young  bulls,  the  wilder 
the  better,  lasso  them,  and  saw  off  the  ends  of 
their  horns.  The  day  having  arrived,  the  crowd 
assembles,  and  one  of  the  beasts  is  run  into 
the  enclosure.  The  Matadores,  attired  in  their 
best  clothes,  and  seated  in  their  best  saddles, 
upon  their  most  nimble  horses,  and  armed 
with  pistols  only,  ride  gaily  in  after  him. 
The  sport  consists,  not  in  torturing  or  killing 
the  bull,  but  in  making  him  furious,  and  then 
so  managing  the  horse  as  to  avoid  his  charges. 
The  beast  they  had  in,  when  I  passed,  had  too 
much  wit  to  trouble  himself,  either  about 
their  tantalizing  motions,  their  Spanish  bra- 
vado, or  the  long  red  scarfs  they  flaunted  in 
his  face.  Several  of  his  predecessors  had 
been  turned  out,  and  denounced  by  the  hoot- 
ing crowd  as  impregnable  cowards.  He  was 
in  a  fair  way  to  share  the  same  condemnation. 


SOUTHERN  CALIFORNIA.  235 

His  would-be  tormentors  displayed  a  patience 
and  ingenuity  worthy  of  a  better  cause.  But 
they  evidently  believed  with  Doctor  Whedon, 
that  "there  is  both  freedom  to  an  act,  and 
freedom  from  it,"  for  when  he  did  make  a 
start  at  one  of  them,  though  only  in  a  smart 
walk,  both  horse  and  rider  gave  him  ample 
room. 

That  was  the  second  afternoon,  and  no 
animal,  either  quadruped  or  biped,  had  yet 
been  hurt.  But  the  spectators  seemed 
interested,  and  hopeful  that  some  good  thing 
would  yet  happen.  And  such  a  motley  assem- 
blage! Boys  and  men,  women  and  children, 
infants  in  arms,  Spaniards  and  Indians, 
negroes  and  half-breeds,  with  a  sprinkling  of 
Chinese,  in  all  styles  of  dress,  with  all  hues  of 
skin,  on  the  fence,  sitting,  hanging,  peeping 
through,  on  piles  of  lumber,  on  wagons,  in 
carriages,  and  on  horseback.  And  yet  with  all 
the  variety  of  age,  color,  and  nationality,  they 
did  not  number  over  five  hundred  in  all. 

The  better  class  of  Americans  took  no  in- 
terest in  it,  whatever,  and  the  brick-layers,  only 


236  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

a  square  away,  kept  steadily  on  with  their 
work. 

On  the  hill,  back  of  the  town,  is  a  small 
reservoir  that  supplies  water.  To  lay  their 
dust  and  put  out  fires,  they  need  neither 
sprinkling-cart  nor  fire-engine,  for  the  one 
hundred  feet  of  head  sends  a  fierce  stream 
through  the  nozzle  of  a  hose. 

More  than  a  hundred  feet  above  the  reser- 
voir, on  top  of  the  hill,  stands  a  high  wooden 
cross.  As  we  were  going  down,  I  had  noticed 
it  from  the  deck  of  the  steamer,  far  out  at  sea. 
I  walked  up  to  it,  and  found  that  it  was 
planted  in  a  heap  of  stones,  laid  in  good  mor- 
tar. From  appearances,  it  had  stood  there 
many  years. 

These  people  have  an  easy  way  of  holding 
up  the  cross.  They  evidently  think  the 
steeple  of  a  church,  the  dome  of  a  cathedral, 
or  the  summit  of  a  hill,  more  capable  of  bear- 
ing it  than  they.  The  mountain  is  left  to 
carry  the  cross,  while  they  enjoy  the  luxury 
of  a  bull-fight  or  gambling  saloon,  at  its  base. 
They  are  like  the  man  who,  thinking  evening 


SOUTHERN  CALIFORNIA.  23/ 

devotions  in  a  cold  room,  before  retiring,  to  be 
a  wearisome  business,  tacked  a  copy  of  his 
prayer  to  the  bed-post,  and  as  he  hopped 
hastily  in,  was  accustomed  to  say  to  the 
Lord :  "  Them's  my  sentiments."  Roman 
Catholicism  has  done  them  no  good.  Their 
religion  has  no  spirit,  and  only  a  ragged  and 
beggarly  form. 

At  4,  P.  M.,  we  took  stage  again.  The 
mountains  soon  curve  around  to  the  south- 
west, and  confine  the  road  to  the  beach.  For- 
tunately for  us,  the  tide  was  out.  Sometimes, 
the  stage  is  lifted  up  bodily,  and  the  horses 
have  to  swim.  One  of  the  drivers  had  nearly 
lost  his  life.  He  gave  up  the  situation,  say- 
■  ing  bitterly,  that  he  "  had  hired  to  drive  a 
stage,  and  not  to  navigate  a  boat." 

We  reached  Santa  Barbara  at  8.30,  P.  M., 
and  stopped  at  the  "  Occidental."  Santa  Bar- 
bara is  taking  the  lead  of  all  these  Southern 
towns.  Being  on  the  sea  coast,  its  situation 
is,  in  some  respects,  more  favorable  than  that 
of  Los  Angeles.  The  temperature  and  rain- 
fall are  about  the  same,  but  the  atmosphere  is 


238  THE  GUX,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

slightly  dryer  at  the  latter  place.  While  the 
thermometer  sometimes  reaches  100°,  at  mid- 
day, the  nights  are  always  cool,  and  the  worst 
of  their  winter  corresponds  very  nearly  to  the 
April  weather  of  the  Middle  States.  The  in- 
flux of  people,  and  especially  of  invalids,  has 
been  very  great,  during  the  last  four  years. 
As  a  consequence,  the  prices  of  real  estate 
have  advanced,  from  two  to  five  hundred  per 
cent,  in  the  same  time. 

The  next  day's  ride,  was  to  San  Luis  Obispo, 
one  hundred  and  fifteen  miles.  We  left  at 
4.50,  A.  M.,  had  a  very  agreeable  company, 
splendid  team,  and  good  driver.  The  road 
lay  among  mountains,  and  over  small  plains. 
W^e  got  out,  and  walked  three  miles  up  the 
Santa  Inez  Mountain.  It  is  a  huge  mass 
of  red  sand-stone  rock.  In  many  places, 
grooves  were  cut,  to  furnish  foothold  for  the 
horses. 

From  the  summit,  we  had  a  grand  view  of 
the  plain  beneath,  and  the  calm  Pacific,  bear- 
ing an  occasional  sail,  far  in  the  distance. 

Much  cf   the  country  we  passed  through 


SOUTHERN  CALIFORNIA.  239 

was  very  poor,  and  fit  only  for  sheep  pasture. 
The  hills  were  bare  and  brown.  There  were 
scattering  groves  of  oak  on  the  plains,  and  a 
few  other  kinds  of  trees  along  the  now  dry 
water-courses. 

The  Santa  Inez  River,  which  we  followed 
many  miles,  had  dwindled  to  a  brook,  and  in 
many  places  disappeared  in  the  sand.  It  was 
10.30,  P.  M.,  when  we  drove  into  San  Luis. 
Excepting  by  the  moon,  when  we  drove  in, 
we  saw  very  little  of  the  place,  for  we  were 
off  again  at  6.30,  next  morning.  But  from 
what  we  saw,  I  should  take  Luis  Obispo  to  be 
one  of  the  poorest  saints  on  the  coast.  Lack 
of  wealth,  however,  is  not  of  itself,  positiv^e 
proof  that  there  is  lack  of  merit. 

Twenty  miles  north,  we  reached  the  head 
of  Salinas  River,  and  Salinas  Plains.  The  road 
was  as  level  and  as  hard  as  a  floor  of  oak. 
Eight  miles  per  hour,  were  traversed  by  our 
lively  wheels.  On  either  hand  were  high 
mountains.  To  the  left,  the  San  Antonia,  to 
the  right,  the  Coast  Range.  Raising  sheep 
appeared  to   be  the   chief  business.     At  one- 


240  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

and-a-half  hours  after  midnight,  we  reached 
Soledad,  having  made  one  hundred  and  thirty 
miles.  This  terminated  a  stage  ride  of  four 
hundred  and  seventy-five  miles.  The  cars 
took  us  over  the  remaining  one  hundred,  to 
San  Francisco. 


CHAPTER  X. 

HOMEWARD. 

/^N  Tuesday,  October  loth,  I  purchased  a 
ticket  for  Philadelphia,  and  on  Wednes- 
day morning,  at  7  o'clock,  left  San  Francisco 
amid  the  first  showers  of  the  coming  winter 
rains. 

The  first  eighty-three  miles,  to  Lathrop,  I 
had  been  over  in  going  to  Visalia.  Here  a 
branch  of  the  Central  Pacific  Road  turns  into 
Southern  California,  and  is  now  nearly  com- 
pleted to  Los  Angeles.  The  main  trunk  runs 
almost  directly  northward,  toward  Stockton 
and  Sacramento. 

At  Lathrop,  the  chief  object  of  interest  to 
most  travelers,  appeared  to  be  a  fine  young 
grizzly  bear,  about  the  size  of  the  one  now  in 
the  Philadelphia  Zoological  Garden.  In  a 
good  cage  with  iron  front,  only  a  few  feet 
16  241 


242  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

from  the  depot  platform,  he  sleeps  away  the 
lazy  hours,  or  sits  up  to  catch  nuts  and  fruit, 
which  some  one  is  nearly  always  ready  to 
supply.  He  seems  to  be  as  much  at  home  as 
a  fat  pig  in  a  comfortable  pen,  is  much  neater 
in  his  attire,  and  excepting  his  suspicious 
claws,  looks  as  though  he  would  make  a  very 
companionable  pet. 

It  was  charming,  to  see  the  patience  that, 
for  a  quarter  of  a  minute,  kept  his  jaws  ajar 
awaiting  a  piece  of  apple,  which  a  mischievous 
boy  tossed  several  times  before  letting  go. 
He  simply  shut  his  eyes  and  waited,  as  though 
it  cost  him  less  effort  to  hold  his  mouth  open, 
than  it  did  the  boy  to  make  the  motions. 

Sacramento  is  one  hundred  and  thirty-five 
miles  from  San  Francisco,  is  situated  at  the 
junction  of  the  Sacramento  and  American 
rivers,  and  is  the  second  city  in  the  State. 

In  addition  to  the  cars,  good  steamers  also, 
run  daily  to  San  Francisco,  and  it  is  the  cen- 
tre of  an  immense  inland  trade.  It  has  suf- 
fered greatly  from  fire  and  flood — especially 
the  latter.     But   with  wonderful   energy,  the 


HOMEWARD.  243 

people  soon  rebuild  it  better  than  before,  and 
at  the  same  time,  strengthen  the  defenses 
against  the  destructive  elements. 

Here  you  are  only  fifty-six  feet  above  sea- 
level.  The  whole  surrounding  country  is  a 
magnificent  district  for  farming.  The  im- 
mense piles  of  grain  sacks,  lying  in  the  fields, 
two  months  before,  had  nearly  all  disappeared  ; 
and  none  too  soon,  for  the  sky  was  overcast, 
and  the  first  rains  were  at  hand. 

From  Sacramento  there  is  a  steady  ascent, 
but  so  gradual  for  twcnt\'  miles  as  not  to  be 
apparent  to  the  eye.  In  twenty-two  miles,  to 
Rocklin,  you  rise  only  two  hundred  and  thir- 
teen feet.  Here  you  are  among  the  first  foot- 
hills. The  road  now  sweeps  steadily  upward, 
along  the  crest  of  the  ridge  dividing  the 
North  Fork  of  the  American  River,  on  the 
South,  from  a  little  stream  called  Bear  River, 
on  the  North. 

Thirty-two  miles  bring  you  to  Colfax,  and 
lift  you  toward  the  clouds  three  thousand  one 
hundred  and  seventy-nine  feet,  making  a  grade 
of  almost  one  hundred  feet  per  mile. 


244  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

This  district  once  contained  rich  placer 
mines.  The  canyons,  and  gulches,  and  hill- 
sides, show  their  rocky  ribs  and  make  much 
of  the  country  look  like  the  bleaching  skele- 
ton of  some  unfortunate  animal,  which  a  beast 
of  prey  had  devoured,  and  from  the  bones  of 
which,  the  vultures  had  stripped  the  very 
sinews  and  ligaments. 

In  a  few  places  mining  is  still  going  on, 
and  you  occasionally  see  the  long"'flLl!nes  that 
bring  the  water  down  from  the  higher  moun- 
tain streams. 

The  view  toward  the  Summit,  is  at  no  point 
equal  in  grandeur  to  that  furtlier  south. 
From  Yosemite  northward,  the  whole  range 
appears  to  be  toned  down.  Remembering  that 
"  Sierra  Nevada,"  originally  signifies  "  Snowy 
Saw,"  and  hence,  "  snow-covered  mountain 
ridge,"  we  may  say  that  the  sazu  is  compara- 
tively dull.  Whether  in  this  part,  subjected 
to  longer  or  severer  use,  or  whether  not  so 
deeply  notched  in  the  beginning,  may  not  be 
known.     But  one  thing   is   certain,  the  teeth 


HOMEWARD.  245 

are  neither  so  prominent  nor  so  sharp,  as  they 
are  two  hundred  miles  further  south. 

Toward  the  valley  the  view  steadily  widens, 
and  becomes  very  fine.  There  was  no  open 
car  on  our  train,  and  the  choicest  position  was 
on  the  rear  platform  of  the  rear  car. 

From  Colfax  to  Summit  is  fifty-one  miles, 
rising  three  thousand  five  hundred  and  ninety- 
two  feet.  You  are  now  seven  thousand  and 
forty  feet  above  the  sea.  Around  is  a 
wilderness  of  mountains,  none  seeming  to 
especially  out-top  his  fellows. 

Night  had  set  in  when  we  swept  around  the 
perpendioular  mountain  side  known  as  Cape 
Horn.  It  is  more  than  a  thousand  feet  to  the 
bottom  of  the  gorge  below,  and  the  gathering 
darkness  apparently  added  to  its  depth. 

Fourteen  miles,  down  a  grade  of  over  one 
hundred  feet  to  the  mile,  now  bring  you  to 
Truckee.  At  this  point  you  can  take  stage, 
and  visit  Lake  Tahoe.  It  lies  only  fourteen 
miles  to  the  south,  and  is  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  sheets  of  water  in  the  world.  Itself 
more  than  five  thousand  feet  above  the  sea,  it 


246  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

is  yet  surrounded  by  mountains  rising  more 
than  two  thousand  feet  higher. 

The  Truckee  River  flows  into  it,  but  there 
is  no  visible  outlet.  Its  surface  is  nearly  al- 
ways smooth  as  a  mirror,  and  its  waters  are 
so  clear  that  a  silver  dime  or  white  pebble 
may  be  seen  at  the  depth  of  a  hundred  feet. 
But  to  sportsmen,  its  chief  attraction  is  found 
in  its  finny  population.  While  on  the  coast, 
I  read  of  a  trout  being  caught  there,  that 
weighed  tiucnty-five  pounds ! 

To  carry  the  rail-road  across  the  mountains 
this  far,  required  some  of  the  boldest  feats  of 
eng-ineering;.  Passiner  through  the  cuts,  over 
the  bridges,  and  along  the  abrupt  mountain 
sides,  will  necessarily  remind  one  of  the  al- 
most insuperable  obstacles  in  the  way  of  those 
who  first  surveyed  the  route  and  located  the 
road. 

The  construction,  too,  was  equally  difficult. 
Every  mattock  and  shovel,  every  pound  of 
powder,  every  spike  and  bolt,  every  chair  and 
rail,  had  to  be  brought  from  New  York.  All 
were  shipped  via  Cape  Horn  to  San  Francisco. 


HOMEWARD.  24/ 

Nor  were  steep  mountain  sides,  and  deep 
gorges,  and  solid  granite,  the  only  obstacles. 
At  these  higher  altitudes,  snow  falls  in  the 
winter,  many  feet  deep.  When  building  the 
road,  the  workmen  often  had  to  tunnel  their 
way  through  snow  and  ice,  to  get  at  their 
work  ;  and  since  the  road  was  completed,  more 
than  forty  miles  of  the  track  have  been  covered 
with  snow  sheds.  Nor  are  these  mere  light 
and  fragile  structures.  Often  subjected  to  the 
pressure  of  the  avalanche,  rushing  down  the 
mountain,  they  are  built  of  heavy  timber,  and, 
excepting  occasional  openings  for  air  and 
light,  are  covered  with  plank. 

Fortunately,  none  of  the  sections  are  very 
long,  and  you  get  frequent  views  of  the  moun- 
tain scenery.  But  often  it  is  vexing,  to  have 
a  burst  of  beauty  snatched  from  your  eyes, 
just  as  you  are  beginning  to  appreciate  it. 

At  some  of  the  stations,  you  see  huge  snow- 
plows.  They  are  made  to  plough  through 
snow  as  high  as  the  top  of  the  smoke-stack. 
It  is  said  to  be  an  interesting  sight  to  see  two, 
four,  or  half  a  dozen  engines  behind  one  of 


248  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

these,  pushing  a  ten-foot  snow  off  the  track. 

As  on  ship-board,  amid  the  billows  of  the 
ocean,  you  witness  the  power  of  man  wrest- 
ling with  the  forces  of  nature — ribs  of  oak  and 
of  iron  sustaining  the  blows  of  wave  and 
tempest — so  up  here,  amid  these  changeless 
billows  of  granite,  amid  storms,  torrents,  frost 
and  avalanche,  this  huge  thing  of  fiery  life 
stretches  its  iron  form  in  graceful  curves,  and 
daily  sends  along  its  precious  freight  of  perish- 
able merchandise  and  immortal  men.  It  is  a 
battle  among  the  clouds,  and  often  above 
them. 

Thursday  morning  found  us  at  Wadsworth, 
Nevada.  The  last  of  the  mountains  had  been 
passed  in  the  night.  We  were  now  in  the 
great  basin  between  the  Rocky  Mountains 
and  the  Sierras.  We  had  also  passed  Reno, 
Avhence  a  railroad  runs  southward  fifty-two 
miles  to  Virginia  City.  This  is  the  land  of 
silver,  as  California  is  of  gold.  The  silver 
mines  of  Virginia  City  and  surrounding  region 
are  the  wonder  of  the  financial  world.  Hun- 
dreds of  thousands  of  dollars'  worth  of  the 


HOMEWARD.  249 

precious  ore  are  daily  lifted  from  the  deep 
shafts.  Immense  fortunes  are  lost  and  made 
in  these  mines.  They  are  in  the  hands  of 
stock  companies,  and  their  shares  are  bought 
and  sold  in  the  San  Francisco  stock  exchange, 
as  are  the  shares  of  railroad  stock  in  our 
eastern  cities. 

At  White  Plains,  we  pass  a  little  lake  known 
as  Mirage  Lake,  and  not  far  behind  it,  Hum- 
boldt Lake.  This  receives  the  Humboldt 
river,  along  which  the  road  now  runs  the 
whole  way  to  Tulasco,  a  distance  of  two  hun- 
dred and  eighty-four  miles. 

The  whole  country  looks  as  if  it  had  once 
been  the  bottom  of  a  sea,  and  in  turn,  the 
crater  of  a  volcano.  Brown,  barren  hills  are 
the  only  mountains,  and  stunted  bushes  the 
only  trees.  A  few  of  these,  just  along  the 
water-courses,  do  struggle  up  to  five  or  six 
inches  in  diameter.  The  Humboldt  river 
itself,  was  then  only  a  respectable  creek.  The 
earth  is  strongly  impregnated  with  alkali,  and 
for  scores  of  miles,  sage  brush  is  the  only 
thincf  livincf  that  seems  to  be  at  home. 


250  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

There  are  said  to  be  some  lean,  lank  hare 
that  manage  in  some  inscrutable  way  to  eke 
out  a  precarious  existence.  We  saw  none  of 
them. 

What  a  traveller  said  of  a  section  of  Ari- 
zona might  also  be  applied  to  this. 

At  a  hotel,  the  landlord  asked  his  guest 
whether  he  would  have  "wild  duck." 

"What  d'ye  call  it?" 

"Wild  duck." 

"What  is  that?" 

"Why,  a  kind  of  bird — a  water-fowl." 

"Did  it  have  wings?" 

"Yes,  certainly." 

"Then  I  don't  want  any.  Anything  that 
has  wings  and  don't  get  out  of  a  country  like 
this,  is'nt  fit  to  eat." 

Early  on  Friday  morning,  we  passed  Pro- 
montory Point.  This  place  is  eight  hundred 
and  thirty  miles  from  San  Francisco,  and  is 
rendered  memorable  by  the  union  of  the 
Central  Pacific  and  Union  Pacific  roads. 
The  former,  through  mountain  and  desert,  had 
pushed   eastward    from    San    Francisco    and 


HOMEWARD.  25 1 

Sacramento  as  a  base.  The  latter,  westward 
from  Omaha.  It  was  here,  in  the  presence  of 
officers  and  workmen — Yankees  from  both 
coasts.  Chinamen  from  China,  and  Irishmen 
from  Erin — that  on  the  loth  of  May,  1869, 
the  last  rail  was  laid  and  the  last  spike  driven 
that  completed  the  iron  band  across  the  Con- 
tinent. It  is  said,  that  the  hammer  used  in 
driving  the  last  spike,  and  the  spike  itself, 
were  connected  with  the  telegraph,  and  thus 
each  blow  was  simultaneously  signalled,  in 
New  York  and  San  Francisco. 

With  lofty  barren  hills  to  the  left,  and  a 
level  plain  around,  we  now  sweep  close  around 
the  north  end  of  Great  Salt  Lake.  A  few 
water-fowl  are  visible  on  its  silver  surface. 
Forty-four  miles  bring  us  to  Ogden.  This 
is  made  the  terminus  of  the  Central  Pacific 
road.  It  is  four  thousand  three  hundred  and 
forty  feet  above  the  ocean,  and  eight  hundred 
and  eighty-two  miles  from  San  Francisco. 

From  here,  southward,  to  Salt  Lake  City,  is 
only  thirty-seven  miles  by  rail.  Most  travel- 
lers stop  over  a  day,  and  visit  Brigham  Young's 


252  THE  GUX,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

Paradise.  I  had  just  seen  enough  of  physical 
desert  to  fully  satisfy  me.  Five  hundred 
miles  of  alkali  and  sage  brush  were  bad 
enough.  To  add  a  view  of  the  moral  desert 
at  Salt  Lake  would  have  been  too  much.  If 
truth  be  told,  the  bitterness  of  wormwood  is 
sweetness  itself,  compared  with  the  greater 
part  of  inner  life  at  Salt  Lake. 

The  city  is  situated  on  a  plain  sloping  from 
the  Wasatch  mountains  on  the  east,  to  Salt 
Lake  on  the  west.  As  there  is  no  rain,  they 
are  wholly  dependent  on  irrigation.  The  water 
is  brought  from  the  mountains,  and  is  con- 
ducted among  the  numerous  little  farms,  and 
along  all  the  streets  of  the  city.  It  is  under 
the  control  of  officers,  and  is  turned  into  the 
gardens  and  orchards  under  strict  supervision. 

The  city  is  regularly  laid  out,  and  is  em- 
bowered among  beautiful  trees,  furnishing  lux- 
urious shade  and  excellent  fruit.  The  tithes 
of  all  fruit  and  grain  go  into  "the  Lord's 
treasury" — which  there  means,  the  capacious 
bins  of  Brigham's  store-house.  Grown  fat 
and  immensely  wealthy  upon  the  hard  earnings 


HOMEWARD.  253 

of  the  poor  dupes  who  beheve  his  teachings, 
he  can  well  afford  to  augment  his  sanctity  by 
supporting  a  score  of  wives,  and  raising  three- 
score of  children.  But  the  Gentiles,  as  all  not 
Mormons  are  called,  have  come  in  among 
them.  There  are  now  in  their  midst  Christian 
Churches  and  political  papers,  that  dare  to 
teach  correct  morals  and  republican  govern- 
ment. When  death  relaxes  the  hand  of  the 
hoary  tyrant  who  now  wields  the  iron  scepter, 
the  whole  institution  will  probably  crumble  to 
pieces. 

Thirteen  miles  east  of  Ogden,  the  road 
enters  Weber  Canyon.  This  is  a  cleft  in  the 
Wasatch  range.  The  western  extremity  of 
the  opening  into  this  "bad  place,"  is  fitly 
styled  the  "  Devil's  Gate."  You  are  glad  to 
find  an  easy  exit  toward  sunrise  and  Christian 
civilization.  For  many  miles,  the  road  winds 
along  Weber  River,  crossing,  and  recrossing 
the  swift  current.  There  is  one  tunnel  five 
hundred  and  fifty  feet  long,  and  beyond  it, 
near  the  track,  a  very  unexpected  object,  viz: 
a  lone  pine  tree.     When  the  surveyors  had 


254  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

measured  to  this  point,  they  found  it  just  one 
thousand  miles  from  Omaha.  It  is  known  as 
the  "Thousand  mile  Tree,"  and  is  marked  to 
that  effect. 

Two  hours  more  carry  us  into  Echo  Can- 
yon. Here,  the  perpendicular  sandstone  cliffs, 
on  the  north  side,  are  some  five  hundred  feet 
high,  and  are  wrought  into  various  fantastic 
forms.  It  would  seem  that  these,  like  many 
others  further  south,  in  this  same  range  of 
mountains,  are  the  work  of  sand-storms. 
Whirlwinds,  lifting  tons  of  sharp  sand  in  their 
giant  arms,  revolve  them  among  these  soft 
sandstone  formations,  and  work  them  out  into 
these  curious  shapes,  as  with  a  huge,  elastic, 
universal  drill.  Here,  as  in  the  clouds,  the 
imagination  pictures  the  faces  and  forms  of  bird, 
and  beast,  and  man,  of  tottering  turret  and 
lofty  spire. 

On  some  of  the  heights  above,  are  old  forti- 
fications, where,  it  is  said,  the  Mormons  pre- 
pared to  resist  the  passage  of  United  States 
troops,  in  1857.  With  plenty  of  rocks  for 
ball,  and  an  unlimited  supply  of  gravitation  for 


HOMEWARD.  255 

powder,  they  were  in  a  position  to  do  fearful 
mischief  But  both  powder  and  ball  remained 
unused. 

The  canyon  is  narrow  and  crooked.  The 
railroad  crosses  the  creek  thirty-one  times  in 
twenty-six  miles.  There  is  one  tunnel  over 
seven  hundred  feet  long.  The  grade  is  a 
heavy  one,  and  a  funny  story  is  told  of  an  in- 
cident that  occurred  when  the  road  was  just 
built.  Paddy  Miles  was  foreman  on  a  con- 
struction train  of  sixteen  cars,  carrying  ties 
and  rails  down  to  Echo.  Unobserved,  the 
four  rear  cars  became  uncoupled,  and  were 
left  behind  on  an  easy  grade.  They  were  a 
half  mile  behind,  when  first  seen,  and  just  ap- 
proaching the  heavier  grade,  where  it  would 
be  madness  to  await  their  coming.  There 
were  two  Dutchmen  on  them,  but  they  were 
sound  asleep,  and  so  the  brakes  were  unused. 
An  exciting  chase  down  the  canyon  now 
began.  The  engineer  blew  his  whistle,  and 
the  rocks  on  either  side  multiplied  the  sounds. 
But  the  Dutchmen  slept.  What  was  to  be  done? 
They  would  soon  reach  the  end  of  the  road. 


256  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

where  a  smash  was  inevitable.  Paddy  con- 
cluded that  it  would  be  better  to  lose  four 
cars  and  two  drowsy  Dutchmen,  than  twelve 
cars,  an  engine,  and  probably  some  men  who 
kept  awake;  and  so  be  ordered  his  men  to 
throw  ties  off  his  rear  car,  in  order  to  obstruct 
the  track.  On  they  went,  flying  around 
curves  and  over  the  bridges,  signaling  the 
switch  open  at  Echo  City.  There  the  train 
was  run  upon  the  siding.  A  crash  was  heard 
up  the  canyon.  The  obstructions  had  proved 
effectual.  Gathering  the  forces,  they  went  back 
to  see  the  wreck,  and  exhume  from  the  debris 
the  mangled  corpses  of  the  poor  Dutchmen. 
They  found  the  wreck  a  horrible  sight  to 
behold — trucks  and  timbers,  ties  and  rails, 
mingled  in  dread  confusion.  They  found  the 
Dutchmen,  too.  Tossed  out  by  the  first  con- 
cussion, they  had  waked  up  in  a  dirt  bank,  had 
crawled  out  wondering  what  had  happened, 
and  were  now  sitting  down,  smoking  their 
pipes,  and  calmly  awaiting  developments. 

From  this  point  on,  you  begin  to  look  for 
the  Rocky  Mountains,  of  which  old  and  }'oung 


HOMEWARD.  257 

have  heard  so  much,  ever  since  the  days  of 
primary  geography.  Onward  to  Green  River, 
there  is  a  slight  descent,  and  from  there  the 
rise  is  so  gradual,  and  the  horizon  so  clear  of 
peaks  that  you  conclude  there  must  have  been 
some  mistake  in  giving  names.  True,  there 
are  some  large  rocks,  some  deep  gorges,  and 
some  respectable  hills;  but  nowhere  to  be 
seen,  the  ideal  "Rocky  Mountains."  The 
country  is  an  improvement  upon  that  west  of 
Salt  Lake,  but  the  hills  were  bare  and  brown, 
the  streams  feeble,  and  generally  an  air  of 
dreary  desolation  reigning  over  all.  There 
were  occasionally  visible,  some  specimens  of 
antelope,  and  there  are  said  to  be  elk  and  deer 
in  the  mountains.  At  Creston,  are  some  more 
natural  plantations  of  sage  brush.  You  begin 
to  dread  a  repetition  of  the  Humboldt  River 
country.  To  your  left  you  pass  a  little  sheet 
of  water  called  Lake  Como.  It  may  be  well 
to  have  a  great  name  when  there  is  not  much 
beside.  It  is  about  a  mile  long,  and  half  a 
mile  in  width.  It  is  said  to  contain  a  curious 
species  of  amphibious  animal,  resembling  a 
17 


258  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

cat-fish,  with  short  legs.  Not  only  at  home  in 
the  water,  it  can  make  considerable  excursions 
upon  land,  also.  A  similar  species,  called  the 
Axolotl,  is  found  in  Mexico,  and  is  esteemed  as 
an  article  of  food.  This  species  belongs  to 
the  family  of  "  Siroiidac,''  and  is  known  to 
Naturalists  as  the  '' Sircdon!'  They  are  a 
strange  connecting  link  between  the  lizard 
and  fish.  More  favored  than  the  latter,  when 
one  pond  or  stream  dries  up,  they  can  set  out 
in  search  of  another. 

Water,  for  use  on  the  road,  is  frequently 
supplied  from  artesian  wells.  One  of  the 
deepest  is  at  Point  of  Rocks.  It  is  a  little 
over  one  thousand  feet  deep. 

Bituminous  coal  is  mined  in  a  number  of 
places.  From  Carbon,  large  quantities  are 
shipped  eastward,  to  supply  the  towns  along 
the  road.  Some  of  it  is  carried  as  far  as 
Omaha. 

The  country  really  improves  as  you  con- 
tinue to  ascend.  You  see  more  antelopes. 
At  first  in  the  far  distance,  then  some  start  up 
near   the    track,   scamper   away   a    hundred 


HOMEWARD.  259 

yards,  and  then  turn  and  look  steadily  at  the 
train.  Sometimes  there  were  a  dozen  or  more 
in  a  band,  often  only  three  or  four.  Once  I 
counted  over  thirty  within  rifle  shot  of  each 
other,  and  once  there  was  a  poor  lone  one  far 
out  on  the  plain,  with  no  mate  in  sight.  They 
appeared  very  timid,  and  it  looked  as  easy  for 
them  to  run  as  for  a  bird  to  fly.  Indeed,  this 
is  their  only  mode  of  defense.  They  are  said 
to  act  strangely,  when  attacked  by  hunters. 
They  will  come  within  range  to  look  at  a  red 
scarf  flying  upon  the  tip  of  a  ramrod,  and 
often  when  one  of  a  band  is  shot,  the  others, 
instead  of  running  away  for  safety,  will  simply 
race  around  in  a  little  circle,  while  another 
and  another  fall  victims  to  the  rifle.  Their 
flesh  is  said  to  be  excellent.  They  were  once 
numerous  in  the  valley  of  the  San  Joaquin, 
but  are  now  seldom  seen  there. 

At  Sherman,  you  reach  the  highest  point 
on  the  road  between  the  two  oceans.  The 
altitude  is  eight  thousand  two  hundred  and 
forty-eight  feet  above  tide.  The  town  is 
named  for  General  Sherman,  and  receives  more 


26o  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

honor  than  it  is  likely  to  confer.  For,  about 
twenty-five  fi-ame  houses,  including  two  hotels 
and  one  store,  give  a  very  doubtful  prophecy 
of  any  future  magnificence  as  a  city.  The 
whole  surrounding  country  looks  dreary  and 
lonely.  You  are  above  most  of  the  busy 
world,  and  yet,  were  it  not  for  the  accurate 
instruments  of  the  civil  engineer,  you  would 
not  believe  it.  The  loneliness  is  scarcely  re- 
lieved by  two  snow-covered  peaks  in  the  dis- 
tance. The  nearer  one,  lies  to  the  south-west. 
That  is  Long's  Peak,  and  it  is  seventy  miles 
away.  The  other,  is  directly  south.  That  is 
Pike's  Peak,  and  you  can  scarce  believe  that 
one  hundred  and  sixty-five  miles  lie  between 
it  and  yourself 

Fish  and  game  are  said  to  abound  within  a 
few  miles. 

The  thermometer  never  rises  above  82°,  in 
the  summer,  but  it  falls  as  low  as  30°  below 
zero,  in  the  winter. 

Snow  seldom  falls  more  than  a  few  inches, 
and  then  the  wind  carries  it  into  the  hollows 
and  depressions  on  the  plains.     This  often  be- 


HOMEWARD  26 1 

comes  a  serious  obstacle  in  the  way  of  the 
cars.  To  prevent  it,  there  are  built  many 
miles  of  snow  fences.  These  are  sometimes 
made  of  rocks  and  stones  roughly  piled  up. 
But  they  are  mostly  constructed  of  boards, 
about  ten  inches  wide,  nailed  on  horizontally, 
with  spaces  between  them.  The  posts  are 
inclined  at  an  angle  of  about  sixty  degrees 
and  instead  of  being  planted  in  the  ground, 
they  are  secured  to  timbers  lying  upon  the 
surface.  In  places  particularly  exposed,  sev- 
eral lines  of  these  movable  fences,  are  placed 
one  behind  the  other.  They  break  the  wind 
and  form  the  snow  into  huge  drifts,  before  it 
reaches  the  road. 

Thirty-three  miles  from  Sherman,  you  reach 
Cheyenne.  Unconsciously,  you  have  de- 
scended more  than  two  thousand  feet.  Here, 
where  on  July  4th,  1867,  there  was  but  one 
house,  there  is  now  a  thriving  city  of  several 
thousand  inhabitants.  Substantial  and  beau- 
tiful buildings  of  brick,  are  rapidly  taking  the 
place  of  the  first  rude  frames.  An  excellent 
court-house,     handsome     churches,    superior 


262  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

schools,  fine  stores,  two  or  three  enterprising 
newspapers,  and  a  good  water  supply,  are 
some  of  the  evidences  of  a  spirit,  that  is  des- 
tined to  make  this  an  important  city  at  an 
early  day. 

It  is  a  curious  fact,  that  this  place  is  just 
midway  between  Omaha  and  Ogden — five 
hundred  and  sixteen  miles  from  each.  For 
pasturage,  the  surrounding  country  is  one 
of  the  best  in  the  world.  Immense  herds  of 
cattle  are  handled  in  this  district. 

Greeley  and  Denver  City  lie  directly  south, 
the  former,  fifty-five,  the  latter,  one  hundred 
and  six  miles,  and  are  connected  with  this 
place  by  rail. 

From  Cheyenne  to  Omaha,  the  country  is 
drained  by  the  Platte  River.  Apparently 
boundless  plains  spread  out  on  every  side. 
Here  countless  numbers  of  buffalo,  or  more 
properly  bison,  roam  at  large,  and  formerly 
could  sometimes  be  seen  from  the  cars. 

It  was  here  that  the  Grand  Duke  Alexis,  of 
Russia,  demonstrated  his  prowess  in  hunting, 
when  on  a  visit   to  this  country  a  few  years 


HOMEWARD.  263 

ago.  It  would  seem  that  he  was  not  likely 
to  fare  better  than  amateurs,  in  whose  veins 
there  runs  no  royal  blood. 

However  distinguished  the  honor  would 
have  been,  none  of  the  dumb  beasts  took  a 
special  fancy  to  being  killed  by  the  hand  that 
is  one  day  to  wield  the  scepter  over  all  the 
Russias.  But  it  is  said,  that  an  old  hunter, 
known  as  "Buffalo  Bill,"  being  ashamed  of 
the  conduct  of  the  animals,  and  taking  com- 
passion upon  the  Prince,  caught  a  calf  by  the 
tail,  and  held  on  until  the  royal  Nimrod  rode 
up  and  shot  it.  Of  course,  all  his  subjects 
will  ever  remember  that  their  mighty  Czar,  in 
his  youthful  days,  slew  a  buffalo  on  the 
American  plains.  It  will  make  a  nice  story 
for  the  little  Russians  to  spell  out  in  their 
"First  Readers." 

Late  in  the  evening,  we  passed  Prairie  Dog 
City.  For  miles  along  the  road,  these  little 
fellows  have  taken  up  claims.  At  this  place, 
immense  numbers  have  concentrated  upon  a 
few  hundred  acres,  and  form  a  densely  popu- 
lated town.     With  the  dirt  excavated  from  the 


264  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

hole  beneath,  they  build  a  mound  a  foot  or 
more  high.  This  furnishes  a  convenient  ob- 
servatory. When  out  feeding,  if  alarmed, 
they  scamper  to  the  mound,  sit  up  upon  their 
haunches,  and  if  they  think  the  danger  immi- 
nent, like  their  squirrel  cousins  on  the  coast, 
they  give  a  little  bark  and  dive  down.  A 
miniature  city,  with  live  inhabitants  of  the 
same  people,  constitutes  one  of  the  most  in- 
teresting features  of  the  Zoological  Garden,  in 
Fairmount  Park,  Philadelphia. 

At  twelve  o'clock,  on  Saturda}^  night,  we 
reached  North  Platte.  To  avoid  travel  on 
Sabbath,  I  "stopped  over  twenty-four  hours. 
Around  this  place  there  spread  the  same  un- 
broken plains.  The  grass  for  miles  along  the 
railroad  was  all  burnt,  and  long  lines  of  fire 
were  visible  far  out  on  the  horizon.  Great 
herds  of  cattle  are  fed  in  this  region,  and  all 
the  men  employed  for  many  miles  around, 
turned  out  to  fight  the  fire.  Here  it  had 
proved  too  strong  for  them,  and  was  then  re- 
ported to  be  burning  forty-five  miles  away. 

Sabbath    was  beautiful.     I    found  the  par- 


HOMEWARD.  265 

sonage  of  the  only  church  in  town,  made  the 
acquaintance  of  the  excellent  pastor,  and 
shared  the  services  with  him.  Though  he 
and  his  people  bore  a  name  differing  from 
that  of  my  own  denomination,  the  partition 
dividing  us  was  soon  reduced  to  a  shadow, 
and  before  the  service  closed,  even  the  shadow 
was  obliterated  by  the  light  from  the  same 
face  that  shone  upon  Peter,  and  James,  and 
John  on  the  mount. 

The  whole  town  was  as  quiet  as  a  New 
England  village ;  and  though  there  were  nu- 
merous boarders  at  the  hotel,  there  was  neither 
drinking  seen,  nor  swearing  heard.  Though 
I  had  not  seen  a  buffalo  on  the  plains,  I  had 
the  privilege  of  tasting  one  at  the  dinner  table. 
It  was  excellent,  and  I  regretted  not  having 
an  opportunity  like  that  enjoyed  by  Alexis. 

On  entering  the  car  again  at  midnight,  in- 
stead of  finding  everybody  snoring  away  as 
usual,  I  was  surprised  to  find  general  wake- 
fulness, and  one  group,  near  where  I  secured 
a  seat,  in  very  earnest  conversation.  It  ran 
as  f(illows : 


266  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  .SADDLE. 

"If  it  had  been  me,  I  would  have  put  a  bul- 
let through  him,  as  sure  as  fate,"  said  a  big, 
determined  man. 

"No,  you  wouldn't,"  said  a  quiet,  cool  man. 

"Yes,  I  would,"  affirmed  the  first. 

"You  would  have  done  no  such  thing.  No 
man  in  his  senses  would  have  done  so,"  de- 
clared the  second. 

"I  would  have  shot  one  of  them,  at  any 
rate,"  said  the  first,  driving  his  assertion  into 
the  back  of  the  seat  before  him  with  his  fist. 

"Well,  suppose  you  had,  where  would  you 
have  been  ?  The  others  would  have  stuck  a 
knife  into  you,  and  dragged  you  out  at  the 
back  door,  and  you  would  never  have  been 
heard  from.  Those  fellows  are  prepared  for 
the  worst." 

Of  the  gentleman  at  miy  side,  I  inquired 
what  had  happened. 

"Oh,"  said  he,  "that  man  back  there  near 
the  door,  was  robbed  at  Sidney,  when  the 
train  stopped  for  supper.  After  the  train  had 
been  standing  awhile,  he  went  to  the  car  door, 
and  was  looking  around   for  a  place  'to  get  a 


HOMEWARD.  26/ 

drink.'  A  gentleman  on  the  platform  said  he 
could  show  him  a  place,  as  he  was  acquainted 
there.  They  went  together,  across  the  little 
open  square,  to  a  saloon.  His  friend  soon  got 
into  a  genial  conversation  with  the  bar-keeper. 
A  throw  at  dice  was  proposed  and  accepted. 
His  friend  lost,  and  was  not  able  to  make 
change.  He  was  courteously  asked  to  change 
a  bill.  When  he  got  out  his  pocket-book,  the 
other  just  took  it  out  of  his  hands.  Amazed, 
he  saw  the  situation  and  drew  his  pistol.  A 
third  accomplice  came  up.  One  of  them 
pushed  up  his  hand,  and  quietly  told  him  to 
put  that  thing  into  his  pocket,  or  he  would 
get  into  trouble.  Another  then  took  his  watch. 
Then  they  hustled  him  to  the  door,  and  told 
him  the  less  fuss  he  made  about  it,  the  better 
it  would  be  for  him.  The  thirty  minutes  were 
nearly  up,  the  bell  rang,  and  all  he  could  do 
was  to  grit  his  teeth,  hurry  back  to  the  car, 
get  aboard  and  leave." 

"How  much  did  he  lose?" 

"A  hundred  and  eighty-five  dollars,  and  a 
gold  watch  that  he  had  just  bought  in  San 


268  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

Francisco."  He  then  pointed  out  another 
man  upon  whom  the  runner  had  first  tried  his 
hand.  He  had  accompanied  him  to  .  the 
saloon,  but  suspected  something  wrong  and 
prepared  to  use  his  bowie-knife.  When  the 
game  was  played,  and  he  was  politely  asked  to 
make  change,  he  quietly  moved  toward  the 
door,  prevented  the  third  man  from  cutting 
off  his  retreat,  bowed  himself  out,  and  bade 
them  good  evening. 

He  then  told  mc  their  simple  method  of 
operating.  When  the  train  comes  up,  it  is 
just  dark.  The  "  roper-in  "  is  on  hand,  dressed 
in  full  traveler's  garb — felt  hat,  duster  but- 
toned up  to  the  neck,  gloves  of  neatest  fit,  and 
a  ticket  sticking  in  his  hat-band.  As  many 
eat  no  supper  at  all,  or  simply  a  lunch  at  a 
restaurant,  they  always  find  "game." 

Then  my  own  experience  came  to  me  with 
a  hot  flash.  With  that  same  rascal  I  had 
walked  across  that  same  square  toward  the 
open  door  of  a  restaurant,  where  a  man  vigor- 
ously rang  a  bell.  This  nice  gentleman,  with 
the    daintiest    boots,    the    finest    gray   alpaca 


HOMEWARD.  269 

duster  buttoned  up  to  his  smooth  neck,  an 
elegant  gray  slouch,  with  a  ticket  in  the  band, 
conversed  most  agreeably  as  we  walked  over, 
and  then  invited  me  to  go  into  the  saloon, 
next  door,  and  take  a  drink  before  eating.  I 
replied  that  I  was  not  at  all  thirsty.  He 
urged  me  to  come  and  take  something  with 
him — it  would  do  me  good.  I  then  told  him 
I  was  not  in  the  habit  of  drinking,  and  paused 
for  him  to  cross  before  me  to  the  other  door. 
He  went  his  way,  I  mine.  A  dozen  others 
came  in  for  supper,  and  I  wondered  that  that 
handsome  gentleman  with  the  neat  kid  gloves 
did  not  come,  too.  Whether  he  succeeded 
with  somebody  else,  I  do  not  know.  There 
was  no  loss  from  our  car,  excepting  a  valise 
and  an  overcoat,  stolen  from  near  the  door, 
while  the  owner  was  at  supper.  It  was 
generally  concluded  that  Sidney  was  a  den  of 
thieves,  and  if  hard  language  could  have 
brought  the  judgment  of  Sodom  upon  the 
place,  there  had  been  a  conflagration  before 
morning. 

The  Platte  River  is  a  peculiar  stream.     In 


2/0  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

many  places,  it  is  more  than  a  half  mile  wide, 
and,  at  a  distance,  looks  as  if  it  were  deep. 
But  its  average  depth,  is  said  to  be,  not  over 
six  inches  /  And  yet,  if  you  attempt  to  cross, 
you  may  not  find  bottom  at  that  many  feet. 
In  the  early  day  it  was  the  terror  of  emigrants 
and  teamsters.  Many  is  the  wagon,  and 
horse,  and  bullock,  that  have  gone  dov/n  in 
its  treacherous  quicksands. 

At  Omaha,  we  crossed  the  fine  new  bridge 
to  Council  Bluffs.  From  there,  I  came  via 
St.  Louis,  crossing  another  magnificent  bridge 
over  the  Missouri,  at  St.  Charles.  But  the 
finest  of  all  the  bridges,  is  that  over  the  Mis- 
sissippi, at  St.  Louis.  It  is  built  of  iron,  and  is 
supported  by  tubular  arches.  Two  of  the 
massive  stone  piers  rest  on  the  rock  a  hundred 
feet  below  the  surface  of  the  water;  while  more 
than  a  hundred  feet  above,  is  the  broad  avenue 
for  local  travel.  Immediately  beneath  the 
wagon-way,  is  the  railroad,  which  continues 
under  the  city  by  tunnel.  In  several  respects 
it  excels  all  other  bridges  in  the  world. 

After  spending  a  little  time  in  St.  Louis,  I 


HOMEWARD.  2/1 

visited  a  class-mate,  ninety  miles  down  the 
Mississippi,  and  thus  enjoyed  a  little  steam- 
boat ride  on  this  great  river.  From  St.  Louis 
home,  seemed  but  a  step.  It  was  refreshing 
to  see  cultivated  fields,  once  more,  and  groves 
of  familiar  trees. 

As  it  is  impossible  to  comprehend  the  vast- 
ness  of  the  ocean  without  sailing  across  it,  so 
it  is  impossible-to  appreciate  the  size  of  our 
country  without  traveling  over  it.  And  it  is 
difficult  even  then.  The  man  who  would  be 
most  likely  to  fully  comprehend  it,  is  the  man 
who  drove  from  Maine  to  California  in  his  own 
wagon.  However,  whether  by  steam  or  horse- 
power, the  one  who  has  crossed  will  not  have 
the  least  doubt  that "  Uncle  Sam  is  rich  enough 
to  give  us  all  a  farm."  And  yet,  he  may  very 
reasonably  doubt  whether  the  recipient  would 
be  any  richer  for  owning  several  farms,  in  some 
of  the  sections  through  which  he  has  passed. 


CHAPTER  XL 


WHAT  LUCK. 


A  FISHERMAN,  wet,  tired,  and  hungry, 
returning  from  a  long  tramp,  was  asked 
whether  he  had  caught  anything? 

"  Yes,"  was  the  brief  reply. 

"What?" 

''Kcold!'' 

If  the  writer  were  asked  what  he  had  gained, 
by  his  expedition  to  California,  he  might 
answer : 

First — Considerable  information  concerning 
that  remarkable  State,  and 

Second — Improved  physical  health. 

In  regard  to  the  first,  the  State  is  remark- 
able in  several  respects.  Such  are  its  people, 
its  mineral  and  agricultural  resources,  its 
climate  and  its  scenery.  Of  some  of  these,  I 
have  already  expressed  an  opinion.  Here 
272 


WHAT  LUCK.  273 

may  properly  be  added  a  few  words,  as  to  the 
inducements  held  out  to  immigrants. 

Of  climate,  there  is  a  great  variety.  In  the 
Sacramento  and  San  Joaquin  Valleys,  as  well 
as  in  the  Southern  part  of  the  State,  it  is  hot 
and  dry,  from  March  until  October.  This  is 
exceedingly  favorable,  both  for  gathering  har- 
vests and  traveling  on  horseback.  Of  course, 
it  necessitates  irrigation  for  the  later  crops. 
This  is  generally  done  with  moderate  labor, 
and  at  reasonable  expense.     But  not  always. 

To  illustrate.  Along  the  lower  Kaweah, 
among  the  foot-hills,  there  was  a  fine  little 
ranch,  which  I  sometimes  passed.  Peach, 
apple,  and  apricot  trees,  potatoes  and  other 
vegetables,  were  flourisliing  very  early  in  the 
spring.  One  day,  one  of  the  owners,  with 
shovel  in  hand,  was  wading  around  in  the 
mire  with  bare  feet,  and  pantaloons  rolled  to 
his  knees.  I  reined  up  to  talk  a  little,  and 
spoke  of  the  splendid  appearance  of  his  or- 
chard and  garden. 

"  True,"  he  replied,  "  but  this  is  rough  work ; 
I  got  up  this  morning  at  five  o'clock,  came 
18 


274  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

out  here  and  turned  on  the  water,  waded 
around  an  hour  in  this  cold  mud,  then  went 
in  and  held  my  feet  under  the  stove,  until 
breakfast  was  ready.  After  breakfast,  I  got 
at  it  again,  and  am  at  it  yet." 

I  referred  to  some  of  the  gardens  down  on 
the  plains,  that  were  burning  up,  and  remarked, 
that  he  had  the  advantage  of  them,  in  having 
plenty  of  water. 

"Yes,  there's  water  plenty,  but,  confound 
it,  I  don't  like  to  do  my  own  raining." 

His  brief  speech  gave  me  a  new  revelation 
of  the  power  and  weakness  of  man. 

It  was  often  a  matter  of  surprise  to  me,  that 
there  were  so  many  poor  people — people  who 
were  making  the  barest  living.  Many  had 
been  disappointed,  and  kept  moving  from 
point  to  point.  For  a  Californian  to  move, 
seems  to  be  about  as  little  trouble,  as  for  a 
Bedouin  to  strike  tent.  Many  have  lived  in 
half  a  dozen  counties  and  followed  as  many 
occupations. 

Southern  California  appeared  to  offer  the 
greatest  advantages  to  men   of  small  means. 


WHAT  LUCK.         •  275 

But  even  there,  it  takes  time  to  build  up  a 
home  and  secure  independence.  The  semi- 
tropical  fruits  pay  largely,  when  the  orchards 
are  ten  or  twenty  years  old.  Few  can  wait  so 
long.  There  are  mouths  to  feed,  bodies  to 
clothe,  trees,  seeds,  and  implements  to  buy, 
and  heavy  taxes  to  pay,  during  long  months 
and  years,  before  there  is  any  return.  Some 
wisely  rent  farms  and  pay  the  rent  in  produce, 
until  they  are  able  to  purchase.  Others  get 
disgusted,  and  soon  roll  out  to  a  new  spot, 
that,  in  the  distance,  looks  more  promising.  Be- 
tween the  failures  of  crops,  and  the  enormous 
rates  of  interest,  which  all  are  required  to  pay, 
many  of  the  poor  farmers  are  ground  as  fine, 
financially,  as  the  grain  they  raise.  Very 
often  the  crop  sprouts  and  grows  to  maturity, 
under  the  shadow  of  a  mortgage. 

To  those  who  go  with  plenty  of  capital, 
there  is  no  trouble.  Money  loaned,  invested 
in  stock,  or  in  real  estate,  is  quite  sure  to  bring 
ample  returns.  A  comparatively  few  own 
magnificent  estates.  On  the  plains  of  the  San 
Joaquin,  you  can  ride  along  a  half  day,  and 


2/6  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

every  acre  your  horse  traverses  belongs  to 
the  same  man. 

Numbers  have  grown  wealthy  in  raising 
cattle  and  sheep.  The  latter,  especially,  have 
proved  a  source  of  early  profit  to  those  of 
moderate  means.  Like  land,  they  are  often 
put  out  on  the  shares.  If  a  poor  man  posses- 
ses the  knowledge  of  properly  handling  them, 
his  way  to  wealth  is  certain,  if  he  steadily 
pursues  it. 

The  mining  is  now  nearly  all  done  by  large 
companies.  A  few  Chinamen  may  be  seen  in 
the  old  deserted  placer  diggings.  The  sand, 
the  gravel,  and  the  boulders,  that  years  ago 
rattled  in  the  pan,  the  rocker,  or  the  "  long- 
tom"  of  the  eager  American  miner,  are  now 
subjected  to  the  patient  scrutiny  of  the  rice- 
eater.  If  he  can  pan  out  fifty  cents  per  day, 
he  gets  rich,  for  he  will  board  and  clothe  him- 
self for  one-third  of  that  amount. 

Taking  everything  together,  and  judging 
from  what  is  everywhere  evident,  California 
repays  the  immigrant  no  better  than  the  older 
States,  east  of  the  mountains.     There  is  inspi- 


WHAT  LUCK.  277 

ration  in  her  big  trees,  big  fruits,  and  big 
farms.  There  is  grandeur  in  her  majestic 
mountains,  and  freedom  from  the  rigor  of 
eastern  winters,  in  her  sunny  valleys.  There 
is  glitter  in  her  gold,  and  electric  speed  in  her 
business  life.  But  to  multitudes,  she  has 
proved  a  jeweled  sorceress,  in  the  beginning, 
promising  crowns  and  palaces,  and  in  the  end, 
denying  even  a  hat  and  hovel.  The  wrecks 
of  her  ruined  fortune  seekers  strew  the  coast. 

Others  revel  awhile  in  splendor,  then  lose 
all  in  reckless  speculation,  and  finally  scrape 
up  a  wretched  living,  in  some  menial  occupa- 
tion, or  hide  from  insupportable  misery  in 
the  cell  of  the  felon,  or  in  the  grave  of  the 
suicide. 

To  the  temperate,  industrious,  patient,  and 
God  fearing,  she  metes  out  the  usual  reward, 
viz:  peace,  honor,  prosperity. 

As  to  the  healthfulness  of  the  climate,  there 
are  various  opinions.  In  different  parts  of 
the  State,  I  found  those  whose  health  had 
been  improved,  especially,  in  Southern  Cali- 
fornia.    I    met    others    who    had    reaped    no 


2/8  THE  GUN,  ROD  AND  SADDLE. 

advantage,  and  learned  of  others  whose  death 
seemed  to  have  been  hastened  by  going  there. 
Many  sick  people  too  long  delay  to  take  rest. 
They  take  medicine,  and  work  on,  when  they 
should  do  neither.  No  climate  will  work 
miracles. 

So  far  as  my  own  experience  and  observa- 
tion go,  the  best  medicines  are  fresh  air,  plain 
food,  and  exercise  up  to  the  point  of  weari- 
ness. Hunting  in  the  mountains  fills  the  pre- 
scription. To  find  mountains  we  need  not 
travel  far,  either  east  or  west.  Those  of  Califor- 
nia are  especially  favorable,  as  during  so  many 
months  there  is  no  rain.  The  ground,  any- 
where, furnishes  a  warm  dry  bed,  the  sky  a  mag- 
nificent tent,  and  a  few  blankets  ample  covering. 
The  life  is  a  rough  one,  but  full  of  interest. 

To  any  afflicted  with  vocal  trouble,  I  would 
recommend  a  wliole  bear.  Not  that  you  take 
him,  but  that  circumstances  suddenly  render  it 
highly  probable  that  he  will  take  you.  It 
will  unearth  any  vocal  talent  you  may  have 
buried.  A  physician  may  safely  recommend 
a  medicine  that  has  benefited  himself 


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